Just Another Day
by haxford
Summary: When Sarah's family gets in a major car accident, she has no one to turn to, until Anthony starts to notice her.
1. Chapter 1

It was just a normal day, like any other day I've had, and today was Thursday. I was in chemistry class with my friend, Lydia, and as usual, we were doing anything BUT chemistry. I heard a strange noise from outside, like an explosion or a crash of some sort, but I thought nothing of it and went back to talking with Lydia about pointless things. Everything was fine until my teacher received a phone call from the office. She called my name and told me to come over to the phone. I answered by saying hello.

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"Hello, is this Sarah?" I nodded, even though they couldn't see it. "I am very sorry to tell you this, but it is extremely important that you are aware. Your parents and your sister, Rose, have been in a terrible car accident." The person on the other end of the phone kept talking, but I just stopped listening.

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I could feel my eyes start to water up, and soon tears started to roll across my cheeks. I inhaled sharply and let out a small cry. Lydia turned towards me looking concerned, but I couldn't make eye contact with her. I just stood there, letting the tears fall from my eyes. I covered my mouth with my hand to try and stop myself from making any more noise, but I just couldn't.

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"Are you still there?" I heard myself say yes to the person on the phone.

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She started telling me that I was allowed to leave school in an hour, after they called my aunt and uncle, who were next in line to take care of me if something were to happen to my parents. They live in Victoria so it would take them a while to get here, so until then, the lady on the phone said that I would have to stay at home with my older sister. I silently hung up the phone and turned to my desk. I walked over, sat down, and put my head on my desk. Then I cried. And not that silent cry that I was doing before, I mean full on cry.

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"Sarah, are you okay? Did something happen?" I turned to Lydia and I tried to explain, but I just couldn't.

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I was hiccupping too much to get anything coherent out of my mouth. I now had the full attention from my classmates, something that I have never had before, and not long after, my other desk partner asked what's wrong. I looked at Lydia and she explained to her that she didn't know.

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My teacher came over to my desk and asked me if I wanted to go to the washroom, or get a drink. I nodded my head and walked out of the classroom. There was a bench right outside the washrooms so I sat down, brought my knees up to my chest and closed my eyes. I felt a slight tap on my shoulder and I looked up.

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"May I sit beside you?"


	2. Chapter 2

I looked up to see Anthony, the guy I have had a crush on since he became my desk partner in math class back in October. I somehow managed to nod, and he sat down on the bench beside me.

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"Is everything alright?" He asked me.

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He turned towards me and put his leg up on the bench as if he was going to cross his legs. He looked at me with his deep brown eyes, and I could tell that he actually cared what was wrong.

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"You don't have to tell me if it's too hard." He broke eye contact. "I can sit here with you until your sister comes to pick you up." I wondered how he knew that Melanie was coming, but then I remembered what happened a few minutes ago in the classroom. How could I forget it?

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I drew my hand up to my face and pushed a piece of hair behind my ear. No one has ever seen me cry, except for my family and my best friend. None of that mattered anymore. My parents and my sister were probably on their way to the hospital right now. I let out a small moan, and I silently cursed myself for thinking of that right now.

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"I-it's alright Anthony. Everything's fine, you don't have to wait here with me, I'll be okay on my own." I suddenly got up and started walking to my locker at the other end of the school.

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I felt a hand grab onto my arm and spin me around.

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"Wait," Anthony held my shoulders and looked into my eyes. "Don't leave. I know that we have never really talked to each other before, but I want to change that."

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I stared at my feet, and then I started to cry all over again.

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"Why?" I looked up into his eyes. "Why now?" He took his hands from my shoulders and started to play with the hem of his shirt.

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"I-I..." I put my hand up to stop him from talking.

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"It's okay. I don't need to hear it. I just want to be alone right now, okay? It's nothing personal." I turned around and started to walk away.

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I didn't hear him come after me, which is fine. He doesn't know what's going on. He doesn't know what's wrong, what happened. I felt a tap on my shoulder and I heard him say, "Here, take this."

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I turned halfway around and he put a piece of paper in my hand. _Call me if you ever need to talk._ He had written his phone number and address on the paper. I gave him a faint smile, but it probably looked like a grimace.

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"See you later then." He started walking in the opposite direction.

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I headed back to chemistry class, packed up my things and gave little wave goodbye to Lydia. My phone vibrated in my pocket. _I'm outside._ I ran towards the doors and to Melanie's car. She got out and I could tell that she had been crying. I nearly knocked her over when I hugged her. We just stood there for a while.

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"C'mon Sarah, let's go home." I opened the car door and sat inside.

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It was a silent ride home and I went up to my bedroom. I laid down on my bed, got under the covers, and cried myself to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

When I woke up, it was about 8pm. _I can't believe I slept through the whole day._ I went downstairs and saw a note on the kitchen table. _I can't stand staying here right now, so I'm leaving for a little bit. I'm sorry, but you'll have to take care of yourself. Lots of love. _Great. Melanie left, just like she usually does. I can't blame her though; I wouldn't want to stay here either.

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I went to go check the phone to see if anybody had called. "Dead." I whispered to myself as I tossed the phone on the couch. _Why couldn't anybody bother to charge the phone?_ I went to my schoolbag and searched for my phone.

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_No messages._ Of course not. Why would anybody want to text me anyways? I then went to my computer to see if at least one person cared about me. Facebook? Nope, not a single message. Wait, there's one... from Anthony. _Are we even friends on Facebook?_ The message read:

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_Hey Sarah, just wanted to ask if you were doing any better than this morning. Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that you can call or text me any time. I never go to sleep :)_

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The message was sent this morning. _Well that was extremely unexpected_. I thought he was just being nice by giving me his number. I didn't want to bother Anthony at the moment so I just said that I would call him in the morning since tomorrow was Saturday.

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The worst part of the whole "being ignored by everyone except by the one person you least expect it from" thing is that even my best friend doesn't even care enough to do anything.

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I got some food from the fridge, even though I barely felt like eating. I put some macaroni on a tray along with some Coke and I brought it upstairs. I flicked on the TV and went to one of my recordings of Doctor Who.

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At about 11:30 my phone buzzed, notifying me that I had a new message on Facebook. I squinted my eyes to look at the tiny screen and saw that Anthony had replied to me.

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_Sure :)_

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I tossed my phone to the other side of the couch and returned to Doctor Who. I continued watching Doctor Who until about 6 in the morning. _I guess I'll save the rest for later._

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I crawled up the three stairs that led to my bedroom and I flopped down onto my bed. A tear started to make its way out of my eye. _I'm all alone._ I curled up into a ball and slept for who knows how long.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up around 10am and saw my phone was flashing. I rubbed my eyes and sat up on the edge of my bed. I looked at the phone screen and saw that Anthony had, again, messaged me saying that he would be at his house all day. I thought about telling him that I might come over later, but I decided against it. _I'll probably go over anyways._

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My phone buzzed again.

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_Oh, and I forgot to mention. Ian is over here too. He's a nice guy so don't hesitate to come over just because he's here._

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Ian. Yeah, he's alright. And he's Anthony's best friend. I've talked to Ian once or twice before. A few weeks ago we had to present a project in English class on Macbeth. I had to go over to his house to work on it. _Had Ian mentioned me to Anthony?_ I pondered over that thought as I got in the shower.

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After I was done, I got on some clean clothes and went downstairs to have some breakfast. I grabbed the box of oatmeal out of the cabinet and started to measure out some water. _Mom usually made me breakfast on weekends._ I winced at this thought and kept telling myself that everything would be fine... eventually.

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I put the oatmeal in the microwave and set the timer for one minute. I then proceeded to get something from the fridge to drink.

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After I finished my breakfast I checked my messages on Facebook and my phone to see if anything had changed. _Nope, no one cares about me._

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I washed up the dishes, grabbed my bag and headed out the door.

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"I'll be back later!" I yelled into the empty house. I froze for about a second to think what I had just done. _Out of habit, I guess._ I walked down the stairs and onto the pavement. I looked at the map I printed out earlier to see where Anthony's house was. He didn't live too far from me, just a nice little walk.

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It took me about 10 minutes to get there. I walked up the front steps and I was about to knock on the door when I stopped myself. _Should I really be bothering him and Ian? _I stood there with my hand centimetres away from the door. _Well, he did invite me..._ I thought as I brought my hand back to my head. I knocked swiftly and stood back from the door. _Now all I have to do is wait and not run away._


	5. Chapter 5

I waited silently outside Anthony's door for what seemed like hours. I was staring down at the oddly comforting 'welcome' mat, playing with the zipper of my winter jacket. I heard some thumping from inside the house and I looked up. _It's probably Anthony coming down the stairs or something._

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I fixed my posture so that I looked at least half decent. Mom always told me to sit and stand up straight. I put on a faint smile for whoever was about to open the door.

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"Hey Anthony! There's some girl at the door!" _Well that is definitely not Anthony_.

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Ian opened the door and leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest. I looked up at him, waiting for him to say something.

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"So what brings you to my crib?" Ian said, trying to act cool.

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"Come on dude, don't you remember her? She's the girl who never talks to anybody." My face fell at Anthony's, surely harmless, but hurtful comment. "And this isn't your 'crib'" Anthony said, making little quotation symbols with his fingers. "It's mine. Well, my house, not my crib."

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Anthony jokingly pushed Ian out of the way. He stood in the doorway and smiled.

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"I'm uh, glad you came over," He said, suddenly nervous. "Come in"

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Anthony moved out of the way and stretched his arm out into his front room. I started taking my jacket off when he pulled it off for me.

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"Hehe, sorry about that, force of habit I guess."

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He then walked over to a closet and hung my jacket up for me. I smiled at him when he turned around.

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"So what do you guys want to do? I have movies, video games, or...something..." He announced to Ian and I, scratching his head.

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I looked at the floor and muttered, "Uh, it doesn't really matter to me. I'll do whatever you guys do."

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"How about we watch a movie?" Ian suggested. He then turned to me. "He's got this huge home theatre downstairs, you've got to see it!" He grabbed my forearm and pulled me down to the basement.

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When we got there, my jaw literally dropped. It was nothing like I had ever seen before. There was a projector on the roof, aimed at a white wall. In front of it was a semicircle-shaped couch. Behind the couch was a pool table and to the left, a mini bar.

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"Wow." was all I could manage. "This is incredible!" I walked a few steps over to the pool table and looked around a bit.

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"What, have you never seen a pool table before?" Ian questioned me.

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I laughed nervously, "Yes, but never at someone's house." I moved a few steps further over to the couch. It was massive! It could probably fit at least 10 people on it comfortably.

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"Really?" Ian said, obviously shocked.

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"Well, then, guys. Why don't we pick a movie to watch?" Anthony said, clapping his hands together.

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I spun around and met his eyes. He pointed over to a rack that held DVDs in them. I walked over to the rack and met Ian there. We both kneeled down and started looking through the movies. _Geez, Anthony has a ton of movies._ I started from the bottom and went up. I suspected they might be in alphabetical order seeing that there are movie titles that start with Z at the bottom. I decided to move to the top of the rack and start there.

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I could hear Ian whisper movie titles to himself as he went along each DVD.

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"I can't decide between all of these movies. Ian, why don't you just pick instead?" I nudged him as I walked over to the couch where Anthony was sitting.

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"Here Sarah, why don't you sit right here, between Ian and I?" Anthony patted the seat to his left.

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I shrugged and sat down beside him. I saw Ian get up and put a disc into the DVD player.

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"Saw." was all that Ian said as he walked over to the couch and sat down beside me.

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I gulped when I heard that name. I read some reviews on it a while ago and everyone said that it was scary as hell. I hate horror movies, not to mention. I didn't want to tell Ian or Anthony that because I didn't want to annoy them. Ian looked like he wanted to watch it.

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"Didn't that movie come out in like, 2005?" I questioned him.

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"Yeah." Again with the one word answers.

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I brought my knees up to my chest and hugged them. I gave out a big sigh. _Great_.

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Ian leaned back and looked at Anthony over my shoulders. I saw him give a little shrug and mouth, _What's up with her?_ Anthony didn't say anything and just waved Ian away. Anthony pressed play on the remote and the movie started.


	6. Chapter 6

As soon as Anthony pressed play, I closed my eyes. I had no intention on actually watching Saw.

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See here's the thing about staying up until 6am watching Doctor Who and then only getting four hours of sleep afterwards. You tend to fall asleep whenever you close your eyes for more than a second, and that is exactly what happened to me.

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When I woke up, I found myself sprawled across the couch, my legs on Anthony's lap and my arms haphazardly thrown across Ian's chest. _Hmm, this isn't too bad_. I thought about the current situation I was in and felt it was better to pretend to be sleeping. The movie was still going on and I didn't really feel like watching the ending.

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I felt Ian move a bit under me and I really hoped that he wouldn't notice that I wasn't sleeping anymore.

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"Careful, man, you'll wake her up!" I heard Anthony hiss at Ian.

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"Chill out, it's not like she's a light sleeper. For the past hour we've been talking normally and she hasn't even moved." Ian responded.

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"Whatever." I saw Anthony put his feet up on a footstool and recline a bit in his seat.

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I felt Ian relax a bit under me. After a few minutes he put his hand on my back. My eyes shot open but I didn't move. _He's probably just resting his arm._ I closed my eyes again and tried to fall back asleep.

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When I woke up again, Anthony had put in another movie, one that I was unfamiliar with. I shifted a bit under Ian's arm and he lifted his hand from my back. I sat up and rubbed my eyes.

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"Uh, what time is it? How long was I asleep for?" I combed my hair with my fingers and straightened my shirt.

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Anthony took out his cell phone and looked at it.

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"It's about one and you've been out since we started Saw, so, about three and a half hours." Anthony put his phone on the table beside him.

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"Oh. Okay." I crossed my legs and leaned forward with my hands propping up my head.

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"Do you need to call your parents or something?" Ian asked.

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_Damn._ _He just had to mention them._ I could feel my eyes start to water. I shook my head and stared at the floor.

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"Uh, are you uh, are you alright?" Ian asked, not sure of what to do.

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"N- I mean yeah, I'm okay. I'm sorry guys, I need to go home." I got up and grabbed my bag, making sure not to look at either of them.

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I ran up the stairs to the front door. _I never noticed how big Anthony's house is._ I guess I should have known, this is the more wealthy part of the community.

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I went to the closet and grabbed my jacket off of a hanger. I slipped on my shoes and started to reach for the door handle when I hear someone running up the stairs. I turned around and saw Anthony walking towards me.

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"I'm sorry to be running out on this, I just remembered something...uh, something I have to do..." My voice trailed off as I opened the door.

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I closed the door behind me and started walking home. I didn't hear the door open behind me. I frowned at the snow. I had hoped that Anthony would come running after me and stop me, like he did yesterday at school. _I'm so stupid. Why would he do that, especially to me? He doesn't even like me._

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When I got home I made myself some lunch. I took it up to my bedroom and turned on my computer. I opened up Safari and typed in "Facebook" and my browser history opened up the website.

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I had two notifications:

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Friend invite: Anthony Padilla Accept/Deny

Friend invite: Ian Hecox Accept/Deny

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I closed the tab and walked to the family room. I sat on the couch and turned on the TV. I opened up the folder that had all of my Doctor Who recordings saved and I started watching them.


	7. Chapter 7

I moaned as I sat up. _Three straight hours of Doctor Who and not a word from Anthony._

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I went downstairs to get something to eat when my phone rang from upstairs. I rolled my eyes and sighed heavily as I ran up the flight of stairs, taking two at a time. I reached my phone just in time to see that it was a "spam" number. My fists tightened and I stomped back downstairs, phone in hand.

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I fixed myself some more macaroni when my phone buzzed. I looked at the screen to see that I had a message from Ian on Facebook.

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_Hey Sarah, I'm sorry that you had to go today; I had a nice time with you. This is kinda awkward for me to say, but I was wondering if you wanted to hang out some time. Here's my number so you can text me. _

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I stared at the phone screen in shock. Geez. Your family gets in a car crash and you're suddenly "in" with the popular guys.

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It kind of bothered me that knowing my family could be dead wasn't bothering me that much. _Wow, that sounded a bit morbid._

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I slapped myself in the forehead for thinking that and went to go and get some ketchup for my macaroni. I opened up the fridge to search for it, but I couldn't find any. _Looks like I'll have to go grocery shopping again. _I sighed and walked over to the cupboard to the right of the fridge.

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I brought down the tin where my mom kept the emergency money and took about $100 out. I then wrapped up the macaroni and put it in the fridge for later. I put it in my wallet and grabbed my shoes and jacket. I made sure I had a bus ticket and a backpack with me and then I left the house, locking the door on my way out.

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I walked to the bus stop and then got on the bus after waiting roughly 10 minutes. I rode the bus into the little shopping center that had a grocery store, a movie theatre and a sort of strip mall. I got off the bus and made my way to _The Real Canadian Superstore, _or _Stupidstore_ as I liked to call it. It's not like I don't like the place, it is just way more fun to call it that.

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I grabbed a shopping cart on my way in and then proceeded to walk down each aisle, grabbing a few things here and there.

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I reached the check-out line about a half an hour later and placed my items on the belt. I waited for the cashier to scan them and put them in the bags and then I placed them in my backpack. Luckily there weren't a lot of things that I needed, so they all fit in the backpack.

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I slipped the bag on my shoulders and paid the cashier. The total was just under $60 so I put the rest of the cash in my wallet. I thanked him and then pushed the cart to the line of carts. I then walked out and took the bus home.

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By the time I got home it was about 4:30 so I put the groceries away, went upstairs and started on my chemistry homework.

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I had it finished in no time, so I started on my math, and then my English. I was terrible at writing essays, but I carried on anyways. By the time I was finished all of my homework, it was around 7pm. I took my macaroni out of the fridge, added the ketchup that I missed so dearly, and heated it up in the microwave.

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_Mmm..._ I finished my dinner and then checked my Facebook messages. I decided that I was going to accept Ian and Anthony's friend requests and then I texted Ian.

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_So do you want to hang out tonight?_

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I almost immediately got a response from him, saying that he could meet me at the movie theatre. I agreed and then told him that I would be there in 20 minutes. I put on my jacket, slung my bag over my shoulder, and then left.


	8. Chapter 8

I met up with Ian at the theatre a little while later.

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"So which movie do you want to see?" He held open the door behind him for me.

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"I don't really care." I saw his face fall when I said that.

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"No, I mean, it doesn't really ma- I'm not trying to be a downer or anything!" I flailed my hands while I tried to explain.

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Ian held up his hands and laughed. He told me that it was okay.

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We walked up to the counter and looked up at the movie list. I scrolled through them with my eyes and saw that they were playing _Beauty and the Beast_ in 3D.

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"What about Beauty and the Beast?" Ian smiled at me as he saw the reaction on my face.

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_I __can't believe that he would want to go see a Disney movie._ I nodded and started to get out my wallet. He grabbed my wrist and said that he would pay for the movie and the snacks. I hesitated a bit but let him pay.

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I crossed my arms trying to figure out what I wanted to eat. Ian went ahead to the cashier and ordered the tickets, and then started to order some snacks.

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"Yeah, I'll have a large popcorn, large Coke, and some Skittles." He looked at me like he was asking if that was alright.

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I nodded and then he paid the cashier. I took a few steps forward and stood to his right. When the popcorn came, I took it and held it in my hands while he grabbed the Coke and Skittles.

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"Oh, I completely forgot about ordering you a drink! Did you want anything, or do you just want to share?" He pointed at the container of straws beside me and grabbed two straws.

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He stuck them in the top of the lid and then we walked towards theatre number 7. We walked up the stairs and turned left. The theatre was on the right and he opened the door for me. _Why is he being so nice to me? He barely knows me!_ I shook that thought from my head as we took out seats in the middle of the theatre.

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Ian shifted a bit in his seat and then turned to face me.

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"So why were you upset today?" I forgot that I hadn't told anyone what happened.

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"I uh, well um..." I looked down at the ground.

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_I need to tell someone eventually, maybe this is the right time. I can trust Ian, can't I? He seems like a trustworthy guy._ I sighed and then turned and looked him in the eyes.

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"On Friday, my parents and my sister, Rose, got in a major car accident. It happened during first period just in the intersection by the school. They were rushed to the hospital immediately and I was told that I could go home. My other sister, Melanie, came and picked me up, but then she left because she couldn't handle it. I haven't seen or heard anything from her since. So since then I've been all alone, even though it hasn't been long. I haven't heard anything about my family yet. Then Anthony invited me over to his house, and I thought that I was alright. Then, when you asked if I needed to call my parents, I-I just... I couldn't stop myself. I wanted to be alone at that moment." I could feel the tears starting to well in my eyes and I quickly brushed them away.

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Ian mumbled something under his breath. My tears were now stinging my eyes and I let them fall.

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"I'm sorry Sarah, I didn't know..." Ian picked at the hem of his shirt.

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"No, it's okay. Like you said, you didn't know. Let's just watch the movie, alright?" I took a few Skittles and popped them in my mouth.

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He sat back in his seat and we waited for the movie to start.

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While the movie was playing, I thought about Ian's reaction when I told him what happened. I thought about my family, in the hospital. I thought about Melanie, and where she could possibly be right now. _At least the movie is good, even though it's in 3D._ I then thought about how all of the people in the theatre were wearing these ridiculous glasses and how they must've looked. I then cheered up a little bit and then focused on the movie.

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When the movie was over, Ian and I got up and went out to the theatre lobby. He then did something that I wasn't expecting at all.

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Ian reached his arms around me and then pulled me into a hug. It wasn't one of those hugs that you give your friends, but a real hug; one that lasts more than a few seconds.

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I was in shock for a second and then I hugged him back. My head fit perfectly on his chest, and I could feel him resting his chin on my head. I closed my eyes and he hugged me tighter against his body. _He smells really nice._ I hugged him with all of my strength. I could hear him whisper something to me.

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"It'll be alright."


	9. Chapter 9

Ian walked with me to the bus stop and then we got on the bus. I took a seat at the back and he sat beside me. I put my head on his shoulder and he placed left arm around me. I placed my hands in my lap and zoned out. _This is nice. I actually have someone to talk to._ I actually felt happy.

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The bust stopped and Ian and I got off. He walked with me to my house and then he said goodbye. I closed the door and leaned against it. I sighed as I thought about all that happened today. _I think I'm starting to like him._ I smiled at the thought then went to go change into my pyjamas.

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I turned on my computer and then sat on my bed a crossed my legs. _I can't believe that it hasn't even been three days since the accident and I already am feeling way better._ I opened up Facebook to see that I had a message from Melanie.

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_Sarah, I'm really sorry for running out like that, but I just wanted you to know that I'm okay. I'm staying with my boyfriend up in Edmonton for a bit, and then we're moving to London. Sean and I send our love._

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So that's where she is; Edmonton. That's about a three hour's drive from here, and they're moving to London? _I guess I should have seen this coming, Melanie's always talked about moving to London when she still lived with us._

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_Okay, just as long as you take lots of pictures of London for me!_

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I then closed my laptop and went to sleep... well, not really. I tried to go to sleep, but my mind wouldn't let me.

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When my alarm went off at 8, I stopped reading my book and shut it off. _I cannot believe that I didn't get any sleep last night. Hurray for all-nighters._ I looked over at my phone and saw that I had a text message from Anthony. _But how? How did he get my number?_ And then I remembered that Ian probably gave it to him. All of them were just texts asking how I was and if I could come over to his house today. I replied saying that I would be over in about an hour.

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I got up and took a shower. Once I was dressed, I went downstairs and had breakfast. I then texted Anthony that I was on my way.

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I rang the doorbell and Anthony answered. He looked at me the same way Ian did last night, and then he pulled me in a hug, almost as tight as Ian's.

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"I know." And that was all I needed to hear.

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I burst into tears, right there in his doorway. Luckily I didn't see any of his family members around so I felt comfortable crying like I did. We stood there for a few minutes before he let go of me. He grabbed my hand and led me downstairs. We sat on his couch and he picked out a random movie for us to watch. Luckily it wasn't a horror movie like last time.

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After the movie, Anthony picked out another one two watch. In the middle of the second movie, my eyes started to close and I leaned back. I tried to fight the tiredness, but I soon gave up and closed my eyes.

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When I woke up I saw that my head was on Anthony's lap. I then shot up, which startled Anthony, and I blushed.

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"I'm sorry, Anthony." I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

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"It's okay..." Anthony turned his attention back to the movie as I rubbed my eyes.

_._

_._

_Oh no._ I could feel myself falling asleep again. _Well, it wouldn't be that bad if I fell asleep on Anthony`s lap._

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I decided that I would try to sleep upright and if I happened to wind up in Anthony's lap again, well then.


	10. Chapter 10

So as it turns out, I did fall asleep, but when I woke up, Anthony was gone. I heard some thumping and clanging of pots (maybe pans as well) coming from upstairs. I sat up and looked at the clock on the wall. 12:16pm. I got up and stretched and then made my way to the stairs. Once I got to the top I noticed that there was no one in the house. I then walked into the kitchen, still half asleep and dragging my feet on the ground. I tried to fix my hair but I gave up and let it be a rat nest.

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I saw a figure moving in and out of the pantry, putting things on the counter. I tried rubbing the sleep out my eyes, but everything was still slightly blurry. As I got closer, I recognized the person to be Anthony, and it seemed like he was making lunch. I walked up to him, leaned slightly over and knocked my head against his back.

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"Ngghhhhh..." He turned around and looked at me.

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He let out a laugh and then patted my head.

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"Why don't you go and sit down, I'm making us some lunch." He lightly pushed me in the direction of the kitchen table.

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I pulled out a bar stool and sat down. I pressed my face against the cool granite counter top and sighed. I heard Anthony fiddle around with some ingredients before I heard him put some things in a pot. I closed my eyes and waited for Anthony to finish cooking.

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"Hey, Anthony?" I mumbled through my hair.

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I could hear him stop whatever he was doing.

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"Um, could I ask you a question?" I heard him walk over to me and site down on the bar stool beside me.

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"What's up?"

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"Well, I just wanted to know why you and Ian are being so nice to me. I mean, you barely even know me, and you certainly never notice me in the hallways at school." I turned my head on the counter to face him and I brushed some hair from my face.

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I could tell he was thinking of something to respond with.

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"That's not true. I know your favourite colour is pink, I know that you don't have many friends and that you eat in the music room alone at lunch every day, and I know that you love video games. And I do notice you, Sarah. I notice you every time you walk into chemistry and math class. I see you alone every day, not talking to anybody. I've never told anyone this, not even Ian, but I like you, and it makes me sad to see you alone every day, with no one to talk to." He immediately looked down at his hands.

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"You, you _like_ me?" My jaw dropped and I just stared at him.

_._

_._

_This has got to be some sort of sick joke._ I sat up and grabbed his right hand with both of mine. Tears were starting to roll across my cheeks.

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"Do you actually mean that?" I could feel myself starting to smile.

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"Yeah, I do. I'm sorry for telling you that when I know you don't like me. Why did I even do that?" He got up from his chair and started to pace the floor as he ran his hands through his hair.

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"Hey! You haven't even given me a chance to defend myself here!" I stood up and walked over to him.

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I grabbed his shoulder and whipped him around to face me. I then put my arms around him and rested my head on his chest as I proceeded to hug him with all of my strength.

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"Do you know how stupid you are right now?" I said into his chest. "I've liked you for the longest time and _you_ haven't noticed me. You couldn't even bother to try and talk to me! Like you said, I'm always alone, so there was not one to stop you from coming over and talking to me!" I hugged Anthony tighter as he placed his arms around my shoulders.

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He rested his chin on my head as I felt him relax a bit.

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"Stupid..." I said as Anthony squeezed me then let go.

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The biggest smile was plastered on his face and I couldn't help but laugh. He started to laugh too and then walked over to the stove and continued to make whatever he was making before. I tried to comb the knots out of my hair with my fingers when I snagged one of my fingers on a big knot and pulled a few hairs out.

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"Ouch!" Anthony turned around, trying to hide a smile.

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"I have a hair brush in my bedroom that you can use, just upstairs to the left." I nodded then turned around.

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I walked towards the staircase and then went up the stairs. Once I got to the top I turned left and saw an open door to a bedroom that obviously belonged to Anthony. His room was an absolute mess. Luckily for me, his hair brush was on the dresser right beside the doorway. I grabbed it and then went to the bathroom in the hallway. I flicked on the light and ran the brush through my extremely tangled hair.

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I ran the brush under the tap and continued to brush my hair so I could keep it from getting all frizzy and static-y. After I was done, I pulled my hair out of the brush and put it in the garbage. I walked back to Anthony's room. I noticed that his bed was a bit messy, so I decided to make it for him. _Why am I such a freak?_ I then messed it up a bit to hide what I did.

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I walked out of his room and went downstairs. I saw that Anthony had placed two bowls of soup on the counter, along with a spoon beside each one and a glass of water. I sat down in front of a bowl and waited for Anthony to join me. He then sat down and we ate our lunch in a comfortable silence.


	11. Chapter 11

When I was done eating my lunch, I looked over at Anthony and saw that he was still finishing his. I grabbed my bowl and glass and walked over to the sink and started washing the dishes, including the ones already in the sink.

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"Oh hey, you don't have to do that." Anthony finished his soup and walked over to me.

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"N-no, it's okay, I don't mind, really!" I said, trying to be cheery.

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Anthony shrugged and placed his dishes in the soapy water. He walked over to my right and began to dry the dishes I had already washed. I started humming Taylor Swift's new song, _Safe and Sound_ while I cleaned and I heard Anthony muffle a laugh.

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"What?" I placed my hands on my hips and turned towards him.

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"Oh, nothing..." He smirked and I flicked some bubbles off my hands in his face.

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He gave me a little nudge and turned back to drying the dishes. I finished washing them and then emptied the sink. Anthony put the rest of the dishes away and we went downstairs to play some video games.

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"Uh, how about Mario Kart?" Anthony suggested, as we got to the couch.

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I shrugged my shoulders and he went over to the games cupboard. I saw him pull out a Nintendo 64 and the game. He set it up and handed me a controller.

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"Wow, you have one of these too?" I said in excitement.

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"Yeah. My older brother managed to get it at a pawn shop a few years ago, as well as a bunch of games." He pushed in the game and turned on the TV and the console.

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"I've had mine since it came out in uh, 1996, I think. My older sister, Melanie, got it for Christmas and she let me play it, even though I was only two years old. I was never very good at it until a few years later." I gave out a little laugh, and Anthony laughed with me.

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"Wow, I never knew it was that old. Huh." He sat on the couch beside me with his own controller.

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We played Mario Kart for a little while and then I got a phone call. I saw that the number was blocked, but I answered it anyways.

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"Uh, hello?" I said nervously, excusing myself from the game.

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"Yeah, this is Sarah," I brought my knees up to my chest. "Yeah, um, I'm at a friend's house right now but- okay." I paused and let the other person talk.

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The person on the other end of the line was the childcare services people. They told me that my parents and Rose were in critical condition, and they might not make it. I breathed in sharply and felt the tears starting to come up. The woman continued to talk about how I would have to go and live with my aunt and uncle in Victoria until I turned eighteen.

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"S-so I'll have to change schools and stuff?" I asked her, shaking.

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Anthony noticed this and he raised his eyebrows. I just stared at him.

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"Yes, but only for a few months. Your aunt will be at your house tomorrow, so pack up all the things you need. I'm sorry but that's the way it'll have to be." She said coldly, not even caring that my parents and my sister could die.

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I hung up my phone and covered my face. I then started bawling, not even caring that Anthony was there. He asked what's wrong, but I couldn't stop. He came moved across the couch to me and sat to my left. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his lap. I latched my arms around his neck and he rocked me back and forth. I pressed my forehead into his neck and cried.

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We sat there for a long time, me quietly sobbing into his chest and him rubbing my back and telling me it's going to be okay. I finally stopped and he asked me what was wrong.

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"My aunt is coming here and taking me back to Victoria for a few months because I'm not eighteen yet so I need a guardian to "take care" of me and I have to switch schools and my mom and dad and Rose are in critical condition and they might die and the lady on the phone doesn't care and I don't want to go to Victoria because my aunt and uncle are mean but he's my mom's brother and she's my mom's best friend and there's more taxes to pay there and I need to leave tomorrow so I have to pack my things tonight and I don't know anybody and I'll be all alone and I won't have any friends not that I have any here beside you and Ian and FUCK!" I said quickly.

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"What? That's bullshit, they can't do this!" He threw his hands up in the air and I got up.

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"Apparently they can. I can't even go and see my family!" I kicked the couch in anger and continued to curse loudly.

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I walked over to the couch and pulled my bag over my shoulder. I walked over to Anthony and hit my head against his chest.

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"Just fucking kill me already." I muttered into his chest as I started to cry again.

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Anthony hugged me and then grabbed my hand. He pulled me up the stairs and got my jacket out of the front closet. He forced my arms through the sleeves and zipped it up for me. Anthony then sat me down on the bench and pushed my boots onto my feet. He put on his own jacket and shoes, then his scarf. Before we left, he wrapped my scarf round my neck and put my gloves on my hands. I looked up at him with glazed eyes as he opened the door. I got up and walked out the door and down the steps.

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We walked together to my house and I opened the door with my key. I then took my jacket, scarf, boots and gloves off and went down to the basement to grab a suitcase. Anthony followed me and offered to carry it up for me. I led him up to my bedroom and he put the suitcase on my bed. I started to throw my things in it.

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"I don't want to go to Victoria." I threw a sweater in. "I don't want to live with my aunt and uncle." Then a few t-shirts. "I don't want to change schools." A pair of jeans. "I don't want to have to make new friends." Some books. "I don't want my family to die." My laptop. "I don't want to leave my house." I closed the suitcase. "I don't want to leave you..." My voice trailed off.

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"Sarah..." I heard Anthony say from behind me.

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"No, don't Anthony. Just don't. Don't say you're sorry for me, don't say you'll be here for me, or say you'll miss me, just don't say ANYTHING." I strained my voice on the last word as I felt Anthony's hand pull on my shoulder.

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I turned around and he held my face with his hands. I put my hands on his wrists and looked up into his eyes. I could feel his face nearing mine and about a centimetre away from me, he stopped. He looked into my eyes and then closed the gap between us.

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At first I didn't know what to do. I mean, Anthony was _kissing_ me. I hesitated a bit, but then eventually I started to kiss him back. I reached my arms around his neck and pulled him closer to me. He put his arms around my waist and did the same. _This has to be a dream._ We stood there, in the middle of my bedroom, just kissing. In that one moment, I forgot about everything that had happened and just focused on Anthony.

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His lips were soft against mine as we continued to kiss. My eyes stayed closed as he pulled me tighter against him. He lifted me up off the ground so that I was on the tips of my toes and I felt a smile grow on his lips. I then became aware of what was happening so I opened my eyes and broke the kiss.

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"I-I'm sorry Anthony, I shouldn't have done that I-" He pulled me back and kissed me again.

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I tried to stop it but he held onto me tightly. _Well I can't say that I'm not enjoying this._ I managed to break the kiss.

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"Anthony, stop! I can't- we can't do this! I'm leaving tomorrow for Victoria and I just..." my voice quietened as I sat down on the bed.

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Anthony's lips were all swollen and his cheeks were bright red. He sat down beside me on my bed, confused.

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"But I-I thought that's what you wanted. I mean, you _do_ like me and I like you." He then stopped talking after he saw what I like to call my "death glare".

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"Damn it Anthony, that's not what I meant!" I practically yelled at him. "Don't you get it? I'm moving away to VICTORIA. I won't be able to talk to you or anything. I won't even be able to call you. You want to know why? Because my aunt and uncle basically live in the middle of fucking nowhere! They don't even have a landline at their house!" I opened my bedroom door and walked downstairs into the dark kitchen.

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I leaned against the wall and silently cried. I heard Anthony coming down the stairs and then walk over to me. We looked into each other's eyes and then I pulled his face to mine and kissed him. This one was deeper than the last one.

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"Don't go." I heard him whisper.

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"I have to." I leaned into him.

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He kissed the top of my head and hugged me.

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"This is all going too fast." I said quietly.

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I stared into the darkness, hoping to find some sort of way out. Suddenly, Anthony's phone started ringing. He answered it and after a few seconds, he hung up.

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"I uh, have to get home. It's almost 11." He said nervously.

_._

_._

_Has it really been that long?_ I nodded, even though he couldn't see.

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"Yeah, um, I'll uh, call you in the morning, when I'm leaving." A small tear made its way down my cheek.

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Anthony let go of me and then put on his shoes. He then opened the front door and left without saying goodbye. I ran up to the door and looked through the window. Even with the street lights on, I could barely see him. I then realised that he had forgot his jacket, so I grabbed it and raced outside, not wearing any shoes or a jacket.

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"Anthony!" I yelled, a few metres behind him.

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He had just turned the corner, but stopped when he heard his name. I guess he saw me running towards him, so he stopped walking, his hands in his jean pockets.

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I finally caught up with him and handed over his jacket.

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"Oh, I completely forgot about that." He took the jacket from my hands and turned around.

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"Anthony, please," I said quietly.

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He still didn't turn around and then he started walking. I could feel the rage building up inside me. I clenched my fists together and ran towards him.

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"You fucking idiot, what the hell are you doing?" I said, my voice almost cracking.

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I grabbed his wrist and violently pulled. He almost lost his balance and stumbled towards me.

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"What the hell? Sarah, what are you doing?" He looked down at me.

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"Why didn't you say goodbye?" I pushed him back a little.

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"Because... because I thought it would be easier. I'm sorry Sarah, but I have to go." He pulled my hand from his wrist and started walking away.

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I just stood there, in the cold, freezing, with no coat or shoes to protect me. It had been about 5 minutes before I snapped back to reality. _He's gone._ I slowly turned back to my house. When I got inside, I went up to my room and finished packing my things. I zipped up the suitcase and then prepared my carry-on for the flight tomorrow. I made sure that the thermostat was set at 17 degrees so the heating bill wouldn't be too high, and then I went to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks so much for the reviews, guys, I really appreciate them! I know that this fanfic is a bit fast-paced and dramatic, but I'm trying to write it as best I can and make it somewhat realistic.**

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"_Bye, mom and dad, I love you!" I waved at them as I opened the door or the car. "Bye Rose!" She waved back as I closed the door._

_._

_._

_Rose had a dentist appointment and my parents were going to work. They were dropping Rose off since it was on the way. I walked to my locker and took off my coat, scarf, gloves and hat. I shook off the snow and changed my shoes. I always kept a spare pair of shoes in my locker for occasions such as this. I grabbed my chemistry text book and met up with Lydia in the library._

_._

_._

_Lydia was one of few friends that I had. I did have a best friend a while ago, but then she got really busy with school and work, so we eventually drifted apart. I would talk to Lydia in chemistry every morning; I even told her that I like Anthony._

_._

_._

_We talked for a while and when the bell rang, we walked to chemistry together. I walked into the classroom first and noticed Anthony starting at me. He saw me looking at him and he quickly turned around to talk to one of his friends._

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"_Lydia, he was staring at me!" I quietly squealed to Lydia. _

_._

_._

_We both smiled as the teacher walked in. She told us to get our notebooks out and start copying what she was writing on the board. I furiously wrote on my paper, careful not to make a mistake and fall behind. When we finished, she told us to finish today's homework as she wrote the textbook page number on the board. Lydia and I then started talking about books and such and that's when I got the call._

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I suddenly sat up, in a cold sweat and breathing heavily. The room was spinning and I tried to focus. A sharp pain hit me and I buckled over, holding my head.

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"FUCK, IT HURTS!" I screamed.

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I stood up, clutching my stomach, and ran to the bathroom. I kneeled over the toilet and emptied the contents of my stomach. When I was finally done, I got up and brushed my teeth with the spare toothbrush that we, for some strange reason, keep in the bathroom.

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I leaned on the counter and looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes were bloodshot and my hair was a mess. I scowled and then turned on the water. After I had a shower, I got dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans. I then got my bag and suitcase and brought them downstairs. I then noticed a note on the counter.

_._

_._

_Sarah: I got here around 6 and I will be out until 8:30. When I come back we'll leave for the airport. I trust that you will get up and ready in time._

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The note was from my aunt. I looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was 6:16. _I still have time for breakfast._ I then felt sick to my stomach for thinking of food so I decided to skip eating. I pulled my phone from my pocket and checked Facebook. _Nothing._ I was actually surprised. Not by the fact that Anthony hasn't said anything yet, but that he hasn't told Ian what was happening.

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First I called Anthony, but he didn't answer. I left him a message saying goodbye.

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I then called Ian's cell phone and he picked up.

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"Uh, hello?" He whispered in a low voice.

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He sounded tired. But his voice. Oh man, his voice. It just sounded so... I don't even know.

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"Hey Ian," I started. "it's Sarah. I was just calling to see if I could come over for a little bit. It's really important and I don't have much time."

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He fumbled a bit but then he agreed. I hung up and prepared myself for the minus 50 degrees that was waiting for me outside. I locked the door on my way out and followed the address that Ian gave me. In less than 10 minutes I was at his house. _Ian's house is a bit closer to me than Anthony's._ I rang the doorbell and Ian answered, still obviously tired. His hair was all messed up and he could barely keep his eyes open. Did I mention that he wasn't wearing a shirt?

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I looked sheepishly at him as he closed the door behind me. He led me up to his bedroom where we could sit comfortably.

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"You look like hell." I commented as we sat down.

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"You look worse." I punched him in the arm and laughed. "So what was it that you so urgently needed to talk to me about?" He rubbed his eyes and looked at me.

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I then told him everything that I told Anthony, except I was a bit slower this time. After I was done, he just sat there, now wide awake, with his jaw hanging open. I didn't mention what happened between Anthony and me though.

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"What the hell? They can't do this!" Ian stood up and paced around his room.

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I tugged at the hem of my sweatshirt, now stained with tears.

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"I'm so sorry, Sarah. I wish there was something I could do." He walked over and sat right beside me.

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I could smell mint in his breath as he leaned a bit closer. _I guess he wasn't tired enough to brush his teeth..._ I coughed and he suddenly sat up straight. A tear slid down my face and he brushed it away with his hand. He stroked my cheek with his thumb and his eyes started to water. _I never noticed how blue his eyes were. _I shivered and he dropped his hand from my face.

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"I don't know if I can do this. Moving to Victoria, I mean." I managed to say.

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"But it's only until you turn 18, right?" I nodded. "Well, how long is that going to be?"

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"Um," I counted the months on my fingers. "Eight months." Ian looked like he had just been slapped across the face.

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"Eight months?" He looked bewildered.

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"And fourteen days." I added.

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It was the 13th of February today, a Monday. It was also a school day. Ian had to go to school, and so did Anthony. I leaned back and stretched my arms.

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"Ian?" Ian turned around, holding a shirt in his hand. "Could you please kill me?" The corners of his lips turned up.

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He walked towards me, pulling a navy blue shirt over his head.

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"How would you like me to do it?" He sat down beside me, leaning in close.

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"It uh, it doesn't matter. Just make it quick and painless." I stared into his shockingly bright blue eyes.

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He started to lean closer and about six inches away from my face, my phone rang. I scrambled to get it, breaking eye contact with Ian. He sat back on his bed while I searched for my phone. I finally found it after three rings and answered it.

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"Hello?" The call didn't last very long and I hung up in less than a minute.

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"It was my aunt. She's back at my house and waiting for me to come home." Ian stared at the floor. "I guess this is goodbye."

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"Yeah." God, I just really wanted to kiss him.

_._

_._

_Why would I even think that? I just kissed Anthony last night!_ I put my phone back in my bag and closed it. I was just about to get up when Ian leaned over and kissed me. _Well, it's not like we're dating or anything._ I stopped thinking about Anthony and focused on Ian. I moved back from the edge of his bed a little bit, making sure not to break contact with his lips. He followed and started to push me onto the bed.

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I leaned back and he put his arms beside my head. I put my arms around his neck and pulled him in top of me. He deepened the kiss as I pulled him closer to me.

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And there I was, making out with Ian on his bed. _This moment is perfect._ I relaxed and continued to kiss Ian. I sat up a bit to get more comfortable. My back was against the wall and I straightened up against it. Tears started to fall from my eyes.

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"Ian," He stopped. "please." I looked at him.

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"Don't tell Anthony." We both said at the same time.

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I let out a giggle and Ian smirked. I then remembered that I had to go. We both got up off his bed and I grabbed my bag. I looked up at him, trying to stop crying.

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"I'm sorry." He pulled me into a tight hug.

_._

_._

_Mmm... he smells nice._ I smiled into his chest and looked up at him.

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"I'll miss you." Ian said quietly.

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"I'll miss you too." I looked over at the clock on the table next to his bed.

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We stood there, me crying, him doing whatever. I closed my eyes and sighed.

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"I have to go." Ian let me go and we walked downstairs.

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I put my coat and all of my things on and went to the front door. Ian brought his face to mine and kissed me. I pushed him away after a minute and he hugged me.

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"You're so puffy." I squeezed him tighter and then I finally opened the door.

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"Bye, Ian." I said beneath my scarf.

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"Goodbye, Sarah." I turned around and walked down the steps.

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I didn't turn around, I didn't wave at him. I didn't look back.


	13. Chapter 13

As soon as I opened the door, my aunt rushed towards me, holding her arms open. She pulled me into an extremely tight hug.

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"Choking, not breathing." I managed to say before she let me go.

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She got through the sappy stuff, you know, about mom and dad and Rose, and then she explained all the details about the flight and living arrangements and such with me.

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"So you are going to be living in the spare bedroom in the attic. There isn't much room up there so you better have packed lightly." I scowled. _The attic, how stereotypical._ "I made sure Ross bought some of that internet connection stuff so you can chat to your little friends online." My uncle, Ross, wasn't as bad as my aunt, Courtney.

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"Your new school will be Lambrick Park Secondary School. It's a ways away from where we live so I got you a bus pass. I think that is all you need to know at this moment, so let's head off to the airport, shall we?" _I hate how she's being all cheery and shit and not even caring that she's taking me away from my life._

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I got my suitcase and locked the door behind me. I put my stuff in the trunk of her rental car and sat in the passenger seat. I pulled out my phone and put my earphones in. I pressed shuffle on my music and turned up the volume. Sighing, I put my elbow on the armrest and looked out the window at all of the houses and buildings passing by.

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In an hour, we had reached the airport. My aunt had returned the rental car and we made our way over to Gate C where we then boarded after waiting a half an hour. In no time, the plane took off and we flew to Victoria.

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When the plane touched down on the runway, it taxied over to the building and then we got off and walked down the corridor. I picked up my suitcase from the luggage belt and then my uncle came and picked us up. We drove to their little house out in the middle of nowhere and my aunt showed me to my "room". Luckily I'm not that tall or else I would be hitting my head on the rafters above_._ I unpacked my things and hung up my clothes on a wooden rod across the room from the foot of my bed. I then got out my laptop and charge cord and started it up.

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"HEY AUNTIE COURTNEY, WHAT'S THE INTERNET PASSWORD?" I yelled to the house.

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"THERE ISN'T A PASSWORD!" She yelled back ,rather angrily.

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I sighed as my laptop finished starting up. First, I logged on to my new school's website and entered the username and password my aunt gave me. I clicked the "Schedule" box and my brand new schedule popped up. _I'm glad I was put into the same classes I was in before: AP math, AP chemistry, AP English and band._ Lydia used to tease me for being so smart, but I always took it as a blessing. I was planning on going to university in England, specifically the University of Manchester, mainly because they accept international students and because I really want to go there. Also because I don't like my city. It is basically a frozen Hell.

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My parents don't have that much money, so I would have to get a lot of scholarships to be able to go to university. Anyways, back to my new school. _What was it, Lambrick Crap or something?_ I sighed heavily and connected my laptop to the wireless printer so I could print my new schedule.

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I went downstairs to try and locate the printer. I walked around the tiny condo and finally found it. I then went into the kitchen with my schedule and got some crackers from the pantry. _I can't believe I'm in Victoria._ Then I remembered to check Facebook. As I climbed the stairs, I yawned and then realised that it was 9 o'clock at night. _Well, in my city it is._ I then set my watch back an hour to 8pm.

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I opened up Safari and logged into Facebook. I had one message so I clicked on it to open it.

_._

_._

_Oh my God Sarah, where were you today? Can you pleeeaaase tell me what happened? I'm really worried!_

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I frowned and then proceeded to type back a response.

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_I'm sorry, Lydia. I should have texted you or something..._

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I then made an extremely long message, 4 paragraphs, explaining all that happened, excluding me kissing both Ian _and_ Anthony. _I'm so popular with the guys._ I then laughed at that ridiculous thought and sent the message. Lydia responded a few minutes later.

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_Holy shit, Sarah! I am SOOOO sorry D': I wish I could hug you but I guess you're too far away. I hope that your parents and your sister survive and that you'll make some new friends at your new school. Hell, you might even find a new best friend! I wish you the best of luck and my family and I sent our hope and love. My mom just said that she'll be praying for you. 3 3 3_

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I then signed off, and then got ready for bed. _I can't believe that it's past nine already, I mean, past eight. It seems just like an hour ago when I was sitting on Ian's bed, talking to him._ I pulled back the covers of my twin-sized bed and turned off the light beside me. I closed my eyes and almost immediately I fell asleep, worrying about what tomorrow would be like.


	14. Chapter 14

I woke up at six the next morning and went to go have a shower. As I was drying my hair, my uncle called me down for breakfast.

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"I'll be down in a sec!" My aunt didn't tell me that I needed a uniform so I just wore my skinny jeans and my grey New York hoodie.

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I brushed my hair and grabbed my backpack on the way down the tiny stairwell. I got to the bottom of the stairs and turned right and entered the kitchen. I gave a little wave to my uncle and sat down in one of the chairs. The kitchen was about the same size as mine, except they had more windows overlooking a field. I took one of the bowls from the centre of the table and filled it with Cheerios and milk. I quickly ate and then checked my phone. It was 6:45 and I had to leave in 5 minutes to catch my bus.

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I said goodbye and put on a jacket. The temperature in Victoria was significantly better than Calgary's weather, being by the ocean and all, but it was still cold enough to have to wear a coat. I closed the door behind me and walked towards the bus stop about a kilometre away.

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There wasn't much evidence of an actual bus stop, but there was a sign just a few feet from the curb. I checked my phone and saw that the bus was late by two minutes. I waited patiently until I saw the bus come around a corner. I got out my bus pass and waited for the bus to stop before I got on.

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There was hardly anybody on the bus, most likely because it was 6:57 in the morning. The only other person beside myself and the bus driver was a girl sitting at the back. I gave her a faint smile and sat near the front. The bus continued on its way for about a half an hour, without making any stops, and then we arrived just in front of the high school.

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I got off and thanked the bus driver, then walked over to the crosswalk. There was no one on the road so I went across without waiting for the walking signal. I entered through the school's front door and went to the office.

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"Uh, excuse me?" I said quietly to the secretary behind the desk.

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She looked up at me and I handed her my transfer papers.

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"I just moved here from Calgary and my aunt said that you already arranged my classes? My name is Sarah, Sarah Turner." She took the papers from my hand and flipped through them.

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"Yes, it seems like everything is in order. It's a good thing you got here early, Sarah Turner, because I'm sure you'll need to familiarize yourself with the school. Just hold on a second dear, I'll just call up your homeroom teacher and he'll be able to show you around." I nodded and she picked up the phone to call him.

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"Mr. Fischer will be down in a few minutes. Why don't you take a seat by the door?" I stretched her arm out and pointed to the row of chairs behind me.

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It wasn't long before someone opened the door, I assumed it was Mr. Fischer, and he asked if I was Sarah Turner. He looked to be in his mid-forties. I nodded and got up. We walked out the office and down the hallway. It was about a half an hour later that he showed me where my locker was. He gave me the code and I opened it up. I put my text books that I got from the library in it and then we walked down another hallway.

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He directed me to what was going to be my first class and told me it was AP English. I thanked him and then he left. There were only a couple minutes until the bell rang so I sat on the ground beside the door and waited. The bell rang and the teacher came and unlocked the door. I walked in and followed the teacher to his desk. I cleared my throat and he turned around.

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"Is there some sort of seating plan for this class?" I asked him quietly as a few students came in.

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"Nope, you can sit wherever you like, uh, what's your name? I don't think I've seen you here before."

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"My name's Sarah Turner. I just moved here from Calgary." He nodded and then added my name to the class list.

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"I recommend sitting in the back corner if you don't want to be harassed by anyone. And don't worry, you haven't missed anything. The education system here is the same in Calgary." He told me his name was Mr. Jackson.

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I turned on the balls of my heels and went to go sit in the corner. _It's nice and quiet here, and no one seems to be paying any attention to me._ I smiled and took out my notebook. I never liked to draw any attention to myself, which is one of the reasons I didn't have very many friends. I hated to waste anybody's time with my problems, and the only ones who can stand me are Lydia, Ian and Anthony. _I miss them so much, especially Ian._

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I started to doodle on my paper as Mr. Jackson told us to take out our projects that we were working on. _Wow, he wasn't kidding when he said the systems were identical._ I took out my personal copy of _The Crucible_ and put my earphones in. I quietly listened to my music as I read when Mr. Jackson suddenly spoke up and told everyone to face him.

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"Excuse me class, I have an announcement to make," the whole room went quiet. "We have a new student joining us today, her name is Sarah Turner. Just so you don't think that she's just some random person joining us for class today." I tried to hide my face after that.

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A few people turned towards me, looking slightly confused. _Oh God, avert eyes, avert eyes! Wait, don't panic, don't make them think you're scared. STOP LOOKING AT ME GOD DAMN IT! _I turned away and played my music. I pulled my knees up to my chest, hugging them with my right hand while holding my book with the other. After I finished reading, I then started to make some notes on it, and then moved onto the actual project; writing an essay.

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_I can't believe I have write another essay. I could have sworn I just wrote one no less than a couple days ago for Lord of the Flies!_ I shrugged and then started to write. The bell rang and I went onto my next class, which was band. I walked quickly through the school and found the music room down another hallway. I was hoping that this class wouldn't be as bad as the last.

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I pushed open the heavy, and probably soundproof, doors and walked in. The room was huge! Not only is the roof as tall as the actual school and doesn't stop at one floor, but there's a set of stairs leading up, and a microwave by the sink. _They have a microwave!_ I know where I'll be eating munch for the rest of grade 12. I saw someone that looked like they were the teacher so I walked over to her.

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"Excuse me, Mrs," I looked at my schedule. "Whitson? I just moved here and I was wondering if I would be able to play in the band today?" She turned around and smiled.

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"Of course! What instrument is it that you play?" I had to think on that one, seeing that I played many.

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"Well at my old school I played clarinet, flute and piccolo, so, whichever one you need in the band." She stood there, thinking.

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"We'll put you on the flute and piccolo and you can switch back and forth through the different pieces. We haven't had a piccolo player at this school for years!" She rushed off into the storage room and came back with two cases, one smaller than the other.

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She placed them in my hands and told me to sit in the front row in the middle. I walked over and sat beside a girl who was holding an oboe. I smiled at her but she didn't smile back. I looked at the music that Mrs. Whitson gave me and I practiced the fingerings on an imaginary flute. _Geez, this music is fast._ I closed my eyes for a second, and then restarted. I made a couple mistakes, but it was pretty easy to learn.

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"Okay class, settle down. We have a new student with us today. What's your name, sweetie?" I gulped and opened my mouth.

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"Sarah." I managed to say. "Sarah Turner." I heard someone in the back stand up.

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"Hey, are you the girl who won all of those contests and scholarships last year?" I turned around to see a guy, roughly my height, standing a few rows behind.

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"Yeah, that's me." I turned back around, smiling.

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I took the flute out of its case and Mrs. Whitson told us to play the fourth movement, _Fantasia on the 'Dargason'_ from the piece, _Second Suite in F._ I brought the flute up to my lips and waited for Mrs. Whitson' baton to start us off.

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In no time, we were finished the piece and the bell for lunch rang. _Maybe I shouldn't eat here..._ I thought as I saw that most of the students stuck around to eat their lunch. I walked out of the room and down the hall. I saw a bench to the right at the end, so I walked over there and took my lunch out of my bag.

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I ate my sandwich in silence and then pulled out my phone. I went into the wifi settings and saw that the school had a free connection. I then went onto Facebook and saw that Ian had messaged me.

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_Happy Valentine's Day, Sarah. :)_

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I instantly smiled and then walked to my locker. I opened it, trading my English book for my AP math and chemistry text books. I followed the school map up the stairs and to the other side of the school. I entered the classroom and went to talk to the teacher. I told her the same thing that I had told the others. She directed me to an empty seat on the left, two rows from the front of the room. I took my chemistry textbook out and my teacher, Ms. Shawcrow, introduced me to the class. We then started taking notes on stoichiometry and soon enough, the class was over. I made my way a couple classes down the hall and into my math class.

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I then went through the routine of telling her what I had already done three times before and right after class started, she told that class my name. Ms. Kelsey told me to sit beside a girl, evidently the same one I saw on the bus, in the back right corner.

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"Hi there, my name is Amber. Amber Parker." The girl turned towards me, smiling. "You were on the bus this morning, right?" I nodded.

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"I thought so. I like getting to school early. So where did you move from?" Ms. Kelsey wrote our homework on the board, so I didn't have to worry about taking notes.

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"Calgary. I just moved here yesterday." Amber seemed a bit surprised at this.

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"Really? Yesterday? Wow, you must have a bit of jetlag, don't you?" We then talked about mindless things like the programs here and the weather differences and such.

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When we were done, I started to do my math homework and finished within minutes of the class ending. I got up and collected my things. I started to walk out of the class when I heard someone call my name.

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"Wait a second, Sarah!" I turned around to see Amber running across the classroom. "Do you mind if we ride the bus together? There's only a couple people who live way out in the country like us so I just wanted to know if you wanted to sit together or something?"

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"Sure, I just need to get my things from my locker first. I'll meet you at the bus stop." I smiled at Amber and then started to walk out of the classroom.

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I got to my locker after a few minutes of pushing past the busy crowds and pulled my books into my backpack. I then left the school and went outside. I saw Amber standing alone at the bus stop so I walked a little faster. I met up with her and waved when I stood beside her.

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"Hey, Sarah! You know, I never got the chance to ask why you moved out here! Soooo, why did you move to the glorious Victoria?" She half-turned towards me and waited patiently.

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"I uh well, it's uh, a long story. I'm sure you wouldn't want to hear it." I said quickly.

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"Oh come on! I want to know!" She lightly nudged my arm with her elbow.

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I sighed. "I'll tell you on the bus okay? Look, here is comes now." I pointed at the bus coming around the corner.

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We got on the bus and went to go sit at the back. _Should I actually tell her? She seems like a trustworthy person. I don't know, there's just something about her that is making me feel compelled to tell her, like when Rose went back in time to talk to her father before he got hit by a car. He said that even though he didn't know her that well, he felt like he could trust her with his car._ I crossed my legs on the seat and turned to face Amber.

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"Last Thursday, my parents and my sister were in a terrible car accident. My other sister was supposed to take care of me, but she moved to London with her boyfriend. I had no one with me, so my aunt flew out to take me here. I had to leave everything behind and create a new life here. I was told that my parents and sister wouldn't make it and I have to live here until I turn eighteen, which is in roughly eight months." I gasped for air as I leaned back against the bus.

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I quickly swept away the tears that were starting to fall.

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"Please don't tell anybody." Amber opened her mouth, but closed it again and nodded.

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She then reached over and gave me a hug. I hesitated, but eventually hugged her back. We rode the bus in total silence until I had to get off.

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"I'll message you on Facebook, Sarah. Stay strong!" Amber told me as I walked to the door.

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I got off the bus and then made my way back to the condo. When I got there, I said greeted my aunt and uncle and then went upstairs. I finished my essay in an hour and then went on my laptop. I logged onto Facebook and saw that I had a friend request from Amber. I also saw that Ian had messaged me again. _Why isn't Anthony talking to me?_ I frowned and opened the message from Ian.

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_Hey, I just wanted to say that all of us here miss you! And by us I mean Lydia and I. I don't know about Anthony, I haven't seen him since we all hung out. You should get this thing called Skype so we can video chat to each other. I hope everything's alright; I wish I could be with you so you wouldn't be alone._

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I thought about what my answer would be to him.

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_It's nice here, I guess. I'll check out Skype and message you in a little bit._

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I Googled Skype and saw that it was a trusted program so I downloaded it. I put my username as and I was glad that it wasn't taken. I messaged Ian telling him my username and he said that his was .

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Skype was finished downloading by now so I opened it and added Ian as a friend. My computer started to make a noise, and I noticed that Ian was calling me on Skype. I clicked the 'answer' button and a screen popped up.

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"Hi, Sarah." Ian waved at the camera.

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I smiled and waved back.

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"Hey, Ian." I grabbed the granola bar that I brought from downstairs and opened it.

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Ian started to type something as I ate the granola bar.

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_So how's school going for you? Make any friends yet? :)_

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I smiled and looked at Ian.

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_It sucks, I wish I was back at home. And I did make a friend, her name's Amber. She's in my AP math class. Have you talked to Anthony at all?_

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Ian paused for a second.

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_Oh that's good! I didn't know you were in AP math. So you're like, super smart or something? And no, I haven't talked to Anthony yet. Do you know what's up with him?_

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I covered my mouth and tried to muffle my laugh.

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_I guess you could say that. But, I need to talk to you about something, like, actually talk. Not type._

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Ian sat up and put his hands on his knees, ready to listen to whatever I had to say.

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"I think I know what's going on with Anthony. But if I tell you, you have to _promise_ not to get mad. Okay?" I looked at him with hopeful eyes as he nodded. "The thing is, the night before I left, Anthony came over to my house and we sort of... kissed. But let me explain, please!"

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"What? You kissed him?" Ian looked baffled at my statement.

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"Yes, but let me defend myself here!" Ian calmed down a bit. "This was right after I learned that my parents and Rose might die and that I had to move here! Anthony was there, I was, and still am, an emotional wreck and I just..." I covered my face with my hands. "I'm sorry, Ian..."

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There was silence for the next three minutes, and then I spoke up again.

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"But technically I shouldn't be. I mean, he said he likes me and I told him that I like him. You didn't even say anything! I shouldn't even be apologizing to you!" I got up off my bed and paced the floor. "I should be apologizing to Anthony!" I looked over to the computer screen and saw that Ian had left for something.

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I could see him in the background; I think he was putting on a sweater. I walked over to the wall parallel to my computer and hit my head against it.

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"God. Fucking. Damn it." I said with each hit.

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I stopped after a few more and then turned to see Ian staring at me. I kneeled at my bed and rested my elbows on the blankets.

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"So what should we do?" I spoke softly.

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"...I don't know." I looked into his eyes again.

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"Why did my life have to get all super dramatic all of a sudden?" I asked him, looking for an answer.

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There was another pause.

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"Sarah, dinner is ready!" I heard my aunt call from downstairs.

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"I'll be down in a sec!" I yelled back. "I'll talk to you later, Ian. But probably not for a while, I'll be busy settling in and catching up on schoolwork." I waved goodbye to him and ended the call.

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_Why did I lie to him? Oh right, probably because I don't want to talk to him, and by the looks of it, he doesn't want to talk to me either. Maybe it's for the best. _I closed my laptop and rushed downstairs.

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"Oh, Sarah, I checked up on that whole internet thing and it looks like we won't be able to afford it." My aunt said to me as I sat down.

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"That's fine. I don't really need it." It was true, I really didn't.

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I only ever used Facebook, but it wasn't that often. It was only until last Thursday when I started to actually use it. We ate dinner in silence and afterwards I got ready for bed. There were no texts from Ian or Anthony, and I didn't expect there to be. I told them both that I wouldn't be able to text them because it would be too expensive.

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I climbed into my bed and turned off the light, and then I closed my eyes.


	15. Chapter 15

It had been a few weeks since I moved to Victoria, and every day I went through the same routine. Get up, eat, go to classes and not talk to anybody, eat, go to some more classes and not talk to anybody (except for Amber in math), go home, eat, finish the homework I didn't complete during class, and go to bed. I hadn't made any friends other than Amber, so I didn't hang out or text anyone. Amber had only been over once, but it was only for a few minutes.

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Today was the last day before spring break and all throughout the day, I watched movies. They weren't the boring, educational ones either, but actual movies that you'd go to the theatre to see. When school was over, I rode the bus home with Amber.

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"So what are you going to do over the break?" She asked, trying to cheer me up.

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"Hm? Oh, nothing. Maybe go down to the ocean for a bit." Amber looked surprised.

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"Every day?" I nodded.

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"Yeah, I like it there. The smell of the salt water, sand beneath my feet. It's just... peaceful." I leaned back.

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"Oh, cool. Hey, can I ask you something?" I looked at her, waiting. "Um, do you mind if I go with you? I mean, you can say no, I'm used to being rejected."

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"Oh, no, it's perfectly okay. We can meet at my house tomorrow morning at, say, about 9?" We both smiled and I said goodbye as the bus stopped.

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When I got home, I went to the kitchen to grab a snack. I headed up to my room and started on the few pieces of homework I got. I then had dinner by myself since my aunt and uncle had gone on a little vacation to Mexico. I fell asleep almost instantly.

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The next day, I woke up at 8 and got my bag ready for the beach. It was still a bit cold out so I put on a sweater and some capris. I made some sandwiches and put them in my backpack along with some bottles of water. I texted Amber that I was heading out and she said that she was leaving as well. After walking to the bus stop, I waited.

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When Amber and I arrived at the gas station, just 2 kilometres from the ocean, we got off and walked the rest of the way. When we got there, Amber took out her camera and started talking pictures of everything. Shells, me, her, me beside her, the ocean, trees, everything.

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I took off my jacket and shoes, and she did the same. We then went over to the water's edge and walked along it. She continued to take pictures of everything.

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"I like taking pictures, okay?" We both laughed and I picked up a few shells to take home with me.

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After what seemed like hours, we headed back to our things and went to Tim Hortons and I took out my sandwiches. We ate them in a comfortable silence and I then invited her over to my house. She agreed and we took the bus home.

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"So what do you want to do?" She asked as I unlocked the front door.

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"We could watch some movies. My uncle has this great big collection in the living room." We went over to the DVDs and picked out a couple.

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We watched them until it got dark out and then Amber said she had to go home.

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"Same thing tomorrow?" She asked as she put her coat on.

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"Yep!" We said out goodbyes and I went to my bedroom.

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This continued on for a week and then we were back at school. Amber and I grew a bit closer over the break, but that was the only thing that had changed.

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The months flew by without any thing extraordinary happening to either of us and before I knew it, it was the week before graduation. Amber and I had already bought our dresses and we were trying them on at her house.

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I liked Amber's house better than my aunt and uncle's, mostly because she had internet. I used it every few weeks to talk to Ian, but only on Facebook. The messages were mainly "I miss you" and "How's school?" I talked to Anthony as well, but not as frequently. I zipped up my dress and walked out into Amber's living room.

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"Oh my God, Sarah, you look beautiful!" I blushed and gave a little spin.

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My dress was a dark green, knee-length dress. The material was kind of silky and shiny, and the sleeves went down to between my shoulder and my elbow. The top of the dress cut across my chest in a straight and didn't show any cleavage, which I was happy for. Under my chest, the dress flowed out with pleats, but wasn't all puffy like some of the dresses I saw in the stores. Amber's was roughly the same, except she had two-inch straps instead of sleeves and the colour was a dark purple.

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"You are looking pretty spiffy yourself!" I pulled her up out of her chair and spun her around.

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We both giggled and then we changed out of our dresses.

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"Hey, Amber?" I shouted from the bathroom. "Do you mind if I use your internet again?"

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"Sure, no problem. You gonna talk to Ian again?" she yelled back.

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"What do you think?" I then walked out, all changed and my dress in its bag.

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I gave it to Amber to hang up in her closet since I couldn't keep it at my house. I walked over to her computer and opened up Facebook. _Oh good, Ian's on!_ I clicked on the chat button and started to type.

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_Hey Ian, what's up?_

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I waited as I saw him typing an answer.

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_Not bad. How about you? Heard anything about your parents or Rose yet? It feels like I haven't talked to you in months, but it's only been a couple weeks._

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My parents. _I miss them so much. Rose too._

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_They're hanging in there, but they're still in critical condition. It was a semi-truck that hit them at like, over 100km/h, you know? And I just tried on my graduation dress, so I'm pretty happy, I guess._

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Ian hesitated, but started typing.

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_You have a dress? I wish I could see it, I bet you look beautiful. I hope your family pulls through. You excited for graduation?_

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A small tear rolled down my cheek, but I quickly swept it away.

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_I hope so too. I'm not totally stoked for grad, seeing that I don't know anybody here except Amber. It's gonna be pretty boring._

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_There better not be any guys asking to dance with you ;) haha_

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I laughed at the computer screen, which caused Amber to turn around and look at me quizzically.

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_You don't have to worry about that happening. I haven't talked to a guy since I left Calgary, apart from my teachers. I gotta go, but I'll try and talk to you soon, okay?_

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_Yeah, alright. I miss you, Sarah._

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I sighed.

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_I miss you too._

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I then signed off and went out to the living room to join Amber. We said out goodbyes and then I went home. The weekend passed in a flash and soon it was Monday, the day of our graduation. I managed to convince Amber to download Skype and Ian and I video chatted a few hours I graduated.

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"So how do I look, Ian?" I had my dress on, and my hair was pulled back into a half-pony.

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Ian sat there, stunned. He wasn't going to the dance tonight, the dance that my school held the day before the actual graduation ceremony. He was on his bed, leaning over a bit to get his face in the frame.

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"You look absolutely beautiful, Sarah, really." He smiled.

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_His smile is perfect._ I blushed and told Ian that I had to go to the dance. We both said our goodbyes and Amber and I were off. Her dad let her borrow the car so we didn't have to ride the bus in our dresses to the school.

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Once we got there, Amber parked relatively close to the school entrance and we walked inside. The gymnasium was decorated in streamers and there was an actual band playing on the stage. Amber and I danced together with the other students around us.

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After an hour, Amber pulled me to the refreshments stand and got each of us a glass of water. After another hour of dancing, we left the school, completely exhausted. I slept over at her house that night, and I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

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The graduation ceremony was the next day and Amber and I got to the school early so we could put on our graduation robes and caps. My aunt and uncle were sitting a few rows from the stage on the right, and they were taking pictures. Amber went across the stage, after waiting forever, and I stood up and clapped for her.

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"Woo, go Amber!" I waited until she got her certificate handed to her, and then I sat down.

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There was another long wait, and then my name got called. I saw my uncle recording me with his camera so I gave a smile and a wave to him. I walked across the stage, my head held high and I took the certificate from the principal. I saw Amber stand up and clap for me, as well as my aunt and uncle.

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When all the names were called, the graduating class got up and we were allowed to leave. I rushed over to Amber and gave her a hug.

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"I can't believe I'm finally done! Now I get to go to university!" Amber said excitedly.

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"Me too! Where are you going?" I asked.

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"The University of Victoria. I've always wanted to go there, ever since I was young. My cousin went there and he said that it was the best university he had seen! And, the classes aren't too bad either!" Her parents came up to her and gave her a bouquet of flowers. "So where are you going? I heard that you won like, a bunch of scholarships."

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"I'm going to the University of Manchester, in England." I replied.

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Her face fell a bit, but then she smiled again. "Awe, it's a shame we couldn't go to the same university, but it's good that you're going to where you want to!" I gave her one last hug before I went over to my aunt and uncle.

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"Hey Sarah, good job on the graduating!" My uncle said, patting my shoulder.

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My aunt nodded in agreement. I didn't say anything after that. We went to dinner at a fancy restaurant and my aunt tapped me on the shoulder.

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"We have some good news to tell you, Sarah," I stopped eating and turned to face her and my uncle. "We've talked to the people at childcare services and they said that since you're going to university in the fall, we wouldn't be able to keep you here with us, even though you're not eighteen yet. So, your uncle and I have made the decision that, after you've finished all your exams, we're sending you back home." I dropped my fork onto the table.

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"You're _not_ serious. No way. Are you kidding? You've got to be kidding! Oh my God, this is great!" I stood up and leaned over the table to hug them both.

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We ate dinner in a comfortable silence and then went home. I had 4 exams to write in five days, and only one day between to rest and study. The exams were surprisingly easy to write, even though they were AP exams, and I was finally free. I rushed home after my last English exam and started to pack my things. _Should I call Ian and tell him I'm coming home early? Nah, it'll be a surprise._ I finished packing my suitcase and rushed downstairs.

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"Whoa whoa there, Sarah, calm down. Your flight doesn't leave for a few hours! Why don't you go over to Amber's house and say goodbye or something?" I gave my suitcase to my uncle and started to walk over to Amber's house; well, more like jog.

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"I can't believe you're leaving already! I am going to miss you so much! You were the only friend I had in high school." Amber greeted me while I stood there, panting.

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She pulled me in the house and sat me on her couch while she got me a glass of juice.

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"I'm gonna miss you too, Amber. Remember to call me on Skype every so often, kay?" I said after taking a big gulp of water.

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We sat there for a half an hour, taking about university and all of those things, when I looked at my watch.

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"I guess it's time to go, eh?" I got up and walked over to her.

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I then hugged her and she walked me to the front door. To my surprise, my aunt and uncle had just pulled up in the driveway. My uncle honked the horn when he saw me and gave me a little wave.

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"Bye, Amber!" I said, walking out the door.

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"Bye, Sarah!" I waved back at her, a small tear falling off my cheek.

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I climbed in my uncle's van and we drove to the airport. _I can't wait to see Ian! Oh, and Anthony too._

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Anthony and I had grown apart a little, and we haven't talked that much. I still call him one of my best friends because of all we've been through together. Me with my parents and Rose, whom are still alive, but barely hanging, and him with his dad who is losing a battle with lung cancer. Anthony assured me that they weren't that close, but I believe that Anthony still loves his dad.

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Over the past few months that I've been gone, I think I've talked to Ian three times as much as I've talked to Anthony. I still miss him like crazy, but what I felt for him that burned so brightly many months ago, is now dead and gone. Anthony and I agreed, during one of our Facebook chats, that we would just stay friends, "because it would be better that way". At first, when Anthony said that to me, I didn't want it to be that way, but then I thought of Ian, and how much closer we've gotten, despite being so far away.


	16. Chapter 16

My aunt and uncle dropped me off at the airport, with only minutes to spare. I said goodbye to both of them and rushed towards the check-in. I dropped off my suitcase and then went through the security check. I ran towards my gate and as soon as I started to sit down, they called my flight number and we started to board the plane.

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I got on and fortunately, my uncle bought me a window seat. I opened the plastic slide and leaned on my elbow. I stared off into the distance for some time and when the plane finally started to move, I came out of my little haze and buckled up my seatbelt. We taxied onto the field and a few minutes later, we started to take off.

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When we reached a safe altitude, I took off my seatbelt and listened to my music. It wasn't long until I nodded off into a light sleep.

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I felt a slight tap on my shoulder and opened my eyes to see the stewardess motioning to take my earphones out.

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"Miss, we are about to land, so please put on your seatbelt." she said, smiling.

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I smiled back and nodded. I felt a tear slip from my eye as we started to come closer to Calgary. I could see downtown from here, and the Calgary Tower stuck out prominently. _I remember when mom and dad took Rose, Melanie and I there for brunch when I was seven. Rose and I ate all of the chocolate mousse and played under the table. We haven't been back since._ I laughed at the memory.

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We touched down on the asphalt moments later and the plane jostled around a bit. We taxied over to the building and then I got up and walked down the corridor to collect my suitcase. _Oh shit. How am I supposed to get home? _I didn't have much money with me and I couldn't drive. The city busses didn't allow luggage on, for safety reasons.

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I then saw that there was this family getting into a taxi, just about to leave. I rushed over to them and tapped the mother on the shoulder.

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"Excuse me, would I be able to get a ride with you? I just arrived here and I have no way of getting home." I smiled and waited for her response.

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"Why certainly, dear! Where are you headed?"

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"Down to the southeast area." I said, hoping that they were at least heading in that general direction.

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"Really? We are going that way too! You can hop in the back with Alicia and Jackson." I thanked her and then put my suitcase in the trunk.

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I opened the sliding door and crouched so I wouldn't hit my head on the roof. I saw the two kids in the back on either side and I sat between them. I put my seatbelt on and said hi to Alicia and Jackson. They looked to be the same age, between 8 and 9, and I suspected that they were fraternal twins.

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"You look old." Jackson commented.

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The mother turned around and gave him a stern look.

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"Don't mind Jackson, he says things like that a lot." Alicia told me as she nudged my arm.

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"Oh, how silly of me, I forgot to introduce my husband and I!" the mother exclaimed. "I'm Mary, and my husband is Richard." Mary patted Richard's shoulder.

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"Hello." I gave a wave to them. "I'm Sarah."

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"You're hair is long. And pretty." Alicia said, like it was a solid fact that everyone should have known.

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"Thank you, Alicia! And you mister," I turned towards Jackson. "I am only seventeen years old." I poked him lightly on the arm.

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Alicia laughed at my comment.

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"So where did you just fly in from?" Richard asked, turning around in his seat.

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"Victoria. I lived there for a few months with my aunt and uncle." I said shyly.

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"Is that far away?" Alicia asked me.

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"Yes, it's about 1100 kilometres away." Both Alicia and Jackson's jaws dropped.

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"Wow." They said in unison.

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I leaned back and we sat in a comfortable silence until they got near the south. They dropped me off on the side of the highway and I thanked them. I waved goodbye and started walking. I had given them my phone number and told them that I could babysit them any time. They didn't live too far away from where I lived and I said that I would be available at any time.

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I was about 20 minutes from where I lived and in no time, I had arrived and was outside my house. I reached in my bag for the house key and unlocked the door. _Geez, it's cold in here._ I walked over to the thermostat and turned it up to 19 degrees. Despite it being summer, Calgary was still a bit cold. The warm weather usually came around the first week of July, and that was about two weeks away. I opened the blinds to let the sun in and then I went up to my room.

_._

_._

_I won't allow myself to cry; I just can't._ I promised myself while I was on the plane that I wouldn't cry. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I quickly brushed them away with the sleeve of my sweater.

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I unpacked my things from my suitcase and then I took a nap. When I woke up, it was close to 5. I got up and had a shower to get rid of all the airport germs and then I got ready. I put on a pair of capris and a long sleeved shirt and some shoes. I locked the door behind me and I made my over to Ian's house.

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I was confident that Ian was home, but so that he was awake or not. He had finished school a few days ago and the graduation ceremony was a few days ago. _The day before I last saw him._

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I finally made it to his house and I walked up the steps. I rapped my knuckles against the wooden door and waited for someone to answer. I waited for about 30 seconds before I heard someone walking in the house. The door opened up to reveal Ian's mom. She looked shocked to see me, but then she smiled and pulled me into a hug.

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A few months ago, around April, Ian had said to me that he told his mom what happened to me and my family. I'm not sure how much he had told her, but I wasn't complaining.

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"Oh, Sarah, I am so glad you're back!" She hugged me tighter. "Ian will be so happy! Here, come with me." She then pulled me into the kitchen. "Ian's sleeping right now, but he will be awake soon. I don't want to waken old memories, but I am so sorry about your family. How about we have some tea and wait for Ian? Don't worry, he hasn't got a girlfriend." I laughed at her statement.

_._

_._

_How did she know I was worried about that?_ I shrugged off the thought and grabbed the mug she held out for me. She poured out some water and handed me a tea bag. We talked about mindless things and finished our tea.

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"You know what? I am going to go wake Ian up. Just a moment, dear." She rushed upstairs and I started to wash the mugs.

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I was done in a minute so I put them away and I stood beside the kitchen table, waiting.


	17. Chapter 17

I heard Ian's mom open Ian's door and talk. I suddenly got extremely nervous and my breath quickened. I started to rock back and forth on my heels as I waited. I started to hear some movements from upstairs and then someone started to walk downstairs. I silently prayed that, even though she is a very sweet woman, Ian's mom would stay upstairs.

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I saw Ian's hand slide down the banister, but he couldn't see me yet. I held my breath as Ian rounded the corner of the stairwell. His hair was a mess and he looked extremely tired. He was looking at the ground and had not noticed me yet, even though I was less than ten feet away from him.

_._

_._

_This is taking way too long._ I cleared my throat and he looked up. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He started to stutter, and I gave him a faint smile.

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"S-Sarah?" Ian managed to say.

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"Yeah, it's me." I said, my throat tightening.

_._

_._

_God damn it, Sarah, don't cry! _We both started to walk towards each other, closing the ten-foot gap between us. He put his hands on my face and I wrapped my arms around his neck. Our lips touched and we embraced in a _very_ passionate kiss.

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He pulled me tighter against his body and I got on the tips of my toes. We were now about the same height. I couldn't hold myself back anymore and I started to cry. We stopped kissing and looked into each other's eyes.

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"I've missed you... so much." Ian whispered, still holding me tightly.

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All I could do was hug him. I nuzzled my head into his chest and let the tears fall from my eyes. I could hear Ian crying softly.

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We stood there, neither of us moving or talking, for about ten minutes. Finally, I looked up at him, my face all puffy from crying.

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"I missed you too." I whispered back.

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Ian let go of me and pulled me towards to front door. We put our shoes on and then left. We walked to a park nearby and sat down on the swing set and started to swing.

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"So what's up?" Ian asked innocently.

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"Oh come on, Ian. Are you serious? I just got home from Victoria, I haven't seen you in months, and my family is in the hospital, and you want to know 'what's up'?" I said, almost yelling.

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I stared at the ground, burning in anger. Ian got up and walked over to me and stopped my swing.

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"How do you think I felt? You being so far away, in pain, and I couldn't do anything about it! All I've got here is Anthony and my mom!" Ian ran his fingers through his hair.

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Neither of us said anything for the next two minutes. I finally had enough of the silence and reached my hand up to Ian. I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to me. I pressed my lips against his and I felt him squirm a bit. I held on tightly, not letting him go.

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"Sarah I-" he started.

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"Just shut up and let me kiss you." he didn't try to say anything after that and then he kissed me back.

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After an hour of us swinging on the swings and talking, we finally walked back to his house. Ian made his way up to his bedroom and I followed. I dropped down on his bed and let out a groan.

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It was around 7 and I was already tired, even though it felt like 6 because of the time difference.

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"Iaaaaannnnnn..." I moaned, my face pushing into one of his pillows.

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"What?" Ian replied.

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"Nggghhhhhhhhhhhhh..." I strained.

_._

_._

_Don't fall asleep, don't fall asleep, don't fall asleep_. My eyes started close and I could hear Ian moving around in his room. My eyes finally closed and I drifted off into a peaceful sleep; one that I haven't had since before the accident.

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When I woke up, it was the middle of the night and I was still on Ian's bed. Wait, make that _in_ Ian's bed. I slowly sat up and saw something beside me. I leaned over to further inspect it and saw that it was Ian. _ Oh my God, I'm sleeping in Ian's bed. WITH IAN!_ I started to panic, and before I could wake Ian with my flustering, I got up from the bed and walked into the hallway. I went into the bathroom and switched on the light.

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The light was blinding for a moment but then my eyes adjusted. I looked in the mirror and saw that my hair was all tangled and my shirt was twisted. I fixed my shirt and then looked for a hairbrush. _I'm sure Ian won't mind._ I spotted a comb and then started to work out the knots.

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When I was done, I went downstairs and got myself a glass of water. I looked at the digital clock on the oven and noticed it was 1:15am. I finished my water and made my way back upstairs. I lifted the covers of the bed and climbed back in. I felt Ian move a bit. He rolled over, still asleep, and placed an arm on my waist. I froze at his touch but then relaxed and fell back asleep.


	18. Chapter 18

Ian moved a bit, waking me up. My eyes slowly opened, trying to get used to the light coming from the window. I squinted and reached to close the blinds. I rubbed my eyes and saw that Ian and I were in a sort of a cuddle-knot with the bed covers. I sighed and then scooted back down and snuggled in with Ian again.

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I laid there with Ian until his alarm went off at 9. I had managed to fall back asleep and was awoken my Ian reaching over my body to turn the alarm off. I pretended to be asleep so that I wouldn't startle him. After Ian turned off the alarm, he laid back down. I was facing away from him so I couldn't see what he was doing.

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After a few minutes of silence, I pretended to wake up and I rolled over to face him. We looked at each other and then I moved closer so I could kiss him on the cheek. Ian placed his right arm around me and pulled me into a hug.

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"Should we go and get breakfast?" Ian suggested, tilting his head so he could look at me.

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I nodded and then we both got up. My hair wasn't as tangled this time so I just used my fingers to smooth it out. We crept downstairs, not sure if his mom was still sleeping, downstairs of out. Over the few months that I was gone, Ian's dad left him and his mom. Ian had assured me, over one of our Facebook chats, that he was alright with it and told me that he and his dad weren't even that close.

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Once we got downstairs, I saw that Ian's mom had left a note on the counter that said she'd gone out and will be out all day. Ian had already pulled out two bowls and a box of Rice Krispies. We ate in silence, excluding the sound of us eating, sitting across from each other. He finished first and waited for me. He took my bowl, as well as his, and brought them to the sink.

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"Hey, I can help, you know." I stood behind him and poked him in the back.

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"No, it's okay. Hey, Sarah, can I ask you a question?" I walked over and stood beside his right. "Uh, will you be my girlfriend?" Ian asked quietly.

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"Yes!" I said, not even hesitating to think about it.

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He turned to face me, both of us beaming, and he gave me a kiss. We finished cleaning the dishes and then Ian went to go get dressed. I waited by the front door for him and when he was ready, we left for my house.

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After I had checked what the temperature was going to be today, I went upstairs and picked out a pair of shorts and a tank top. I pulled my hair up in a pony and grabbed a pair of sandals. When I got downstairs, Ian was holding his phone and looking at something.

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"Hey Sarah, come here. I think you want to see this." Ian held out his phone and I took it.

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I looked at the screen and saw that he was on the school website. I scrolled down a bit and then I saw a title. "**Class of 2012 graduation party at Chaparral Lake Friday, June 29****th****" **I read all the details of the post, saying that there would be a dance and snacks and music.

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"So it's kind of like a giant party, minus the parental supervision." I said, handing the phone back to Ian.

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"Yeah. Do you want to go? It's tomorrow..." Ian put his phone into the pocket of his shorts.

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"I think that would be nice, seeing all of the people I didn't get to graduate with. Am I even allowed to go? I didn't graduate with you guys..." My voice trailed off as Ian and I put our shoes on and walked out the door.

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I locked the door behind me and looked at Ian for an answer.

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"I'm sure they'll let you go. It's not like they're renting the whole place." Ian shrugged as we walked down the stairs.

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"But they are." I said. "They're renting the whole lake for tomorrow. It was in the description of the post." Ian looked confused. "You only read the title, didn't you?" I stopped walking and put my hands on my hips.

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Ian pretended to look ashamed, and I pushed him. He pushed me back and then we started walking. After a few steps, he held out his hand for me to take. I smiled at him and held his hand in mine.

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"So where're we going?" I swung our hands back and forth as we walked.

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"You'll see." was all Ian said.

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We continued to walk until we got near the entrance of Chaparral. We got to the bus stop and sat down on the bench, waiting for the bus. Once it arrived, Ian reached into his back pocket and pulled out two bus tickets. He put them in the change box and the bus driver let us on.

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I raced to the back of the bus and sat down before the bus started to move. Ian wasn't as fast as me and when the bus lurched forward, he tripped and almost fell down. I started laughing at him and he soon joined in. He wiped his hands on his shorts as he sat down beside me.

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We rode the bus for a good 25 minutes and when we stopped, Ian got up. He grabbed my hand and pulled me up and off the bus. I looked around for a second, trying to figure out where we are.

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"One question, John," he looked at me, confused. "Where the hell are we?"

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"John?" he raised his eyebrow.

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"Yes. That's you. Now, John, back to my question." Ian was still thoroughly confused, but I just rolled my eyes.

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Ian was about to answer when his eyes went wide and a smile crept up on his face.

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"Yes, but I thought you would be able to figure it out, Sherlock." Ian smirked as I scrunched my eyebrows together.

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"Fine, don't tell me. Just take me to wherever we're going." he laughed and held out his hand.

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I took it and we started walking down the sidewalk. There were a bunch of buildings everywhere, but eventually they started to thin out and soon we were walking in some neighbourhood. I didn't want to ask Ian where we were going again, so I just kept walking, my mouth shut.

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A while later, even the neighbourhood was gone and now we were just walking through a field. There was a forest up ahead, but it wasn't a large one, like the ones you see in movies. The trees looked to be no more than 30 feet tall.

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"We're going in a... forest?" I questioned him, slowing down a bit.

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He didn't answer me, but instead, he squeezed my hand and pulled me forward. We made our way through the forest and then we came to a little clearing.

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"I used to come here with Anthony everyday when we were younger. Back in the neighbourhood we passed was where I lived, Anthony too. We would call this place "the Swimming Hole" because, well, it's a hole!" We walked closer to the water's edge.

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I looked up to see a giant tree, significantly taller than the other ones, with a rope tied to one of the branches. The swimming hole looked extremely deep, so I didn't have to worry about hitting the bottom. There was a sort of 'grass beach' along half of the hole and the other half was just a jagged rock wall. The circumference of it was about 50 feet, but I was never any good at determining those sorts of things.

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I turned around to see Ian pulling off his shirt and placing it on a branch of a nearby tree. I took my shoes off because they were really the only thing I _could_ take off without making it inappropriate. The sun was shining over the water and it made it warmer. It seemed about 25 degrees out, which is surprising, mostly because Calgary didn't start getting warmer until July.

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I made my way over to the water and slipped a foot in to test the temperature. It was surprisingly warm so I started to climb in, my feet squishing in the mud. I turned around to see Ian with his phone out, about to take a picture of me.

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"Hey! What are you doing?" I said, getting further into the water.

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"Nothing!" Ian quickly put his phone away, but not before taking a picture, which I could clearly hear from the 'shutter noise' his phone made.

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I glared at him until he turned back around. He made his way over to me and then started to run. Just before he hit the water, he jumped and brought his knees to his chest. I shielded myself with my arms as Ian hit the water, but it was no use. It was like a tidal wave and I got soaked. When he resurfaced, I swam over to him and splashed water in his face.

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"You jerk! You got me all wet!" I splashed him again.

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I tried to tackle him, but he swam out of the way. We continued to swim until Ian dared me to jump off the rope. It looked to be about 15 feet from the water, so I was a bit nervous. I climbed out of the water and walked over to the tree. The end of the rope was tied to a smaller and lower branch so that it could be grabbed easily, and I untied it. I then put my hands up high on the rope and jumped. I soared through the air and when I was about to start heading back towards the cliff, I let go.

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I hit the water hard and went down about 12 feet under the surface. I swam to the top and Ian met me there.

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"Nice job!" he exclaimed, holding up his hand for a high five.

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I returned it, and then we took turns using the rope. A while later, Ian told me that it was getting late and that we should start drying ourselves off if we didn't want to get cold. I agreed and got out of the water. Neither of us brought towels, but it was extremely hot out still so we just dried ourselves in the sun. I went to go sit on a rock, and Ian joined me. My shorts felt like they were glued to my body, as well as my shirt. I was glad I wore an undershirt as well or else Ian would be able to see my bra.

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I mentally thanked myself as I closed my eyes and lied down on the rock surface. Ian had used his shirt to dry his torso, and then his hair. He put it on and then lied down with me. About 20 minutes later, we were all dry. My hair was beginning to curl and I got up to put my shoes on. Ian and I started to walk back to the city together, and soon we arrived back at the entrance of Chaparral.

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"I'll just go home and have a shower, and then I'll be right over, okay?" I asked him.

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"Yeah, that sounds alright. I think my mom's still out, 'dinner with her friends', I think she said, so we'll have to fend for ourselves." Ian gave me a wink and then a kiss on my forehead.

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We started walking our separate ways and in a few minutes I was back at home. I had my shower, and went back to my room and picked out some clothes to wear. I then started thinking about what I would wear to tomorrow night's party at the lake. _I remember the post saying that it was semi-formal._ I searched through my closet and pulled out what I thought was perfect to wear.

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I finished getting dressed and then I ran a brush through my hair. I double-checked to make sure that I looked decent, and then I headed over to Ian's.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello! Thank you for all the reviews so far! :3**

**SecretlyMinnieMouse - I know I answered your question already in a PM, but I just want everyone to know that I changed Sarah's name (and said that I did a few chapters back) because I didn't like her previous name. Yes, my name is Anna, and for a while, that was the only way I could write First Person stories (by using my name as the character. Yes, I am extremely weird.). But one of my friends said that was really weird and that I could probably go on without using my name, so I changed it. Ah well. Enjoy this chapter! ^U^**

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When I arrived at Ian's house, he answered the door and then we went into his kitchen. We agreed that we would make spaghetti for dinner, so we started to get the ingredients out. I grabbed a box of pasta from one of the shelves in the pantry while Ian started to boil some water in a pot. Once the water was boiled, I poured in the pasta. I then found a jar of spaghetti sauce and put that on the counter. The spaghetti finished cooking and Ian grabbed to pot with some dishtowels and emptied the hot water into the sink.

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"Shall we eat?" he asked dramatically, raising and eyebrow while putting the dishtowels away.

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"We shall." I replied, just as dramatically.

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We both grabbed a bowl and Ian put some spaghetti in his, and then mine. I put some sauce over top and then handed the jar to him because I didn't know how much he wanted. We sat down at the kitchen table and ate in a comfortable silence. I grabbed my glass and took a sip of water. I could feel a yawn coming up. I tried to suppress it, but it refused to be ignored. I covered my mouth with my hand as I let out the yawn and Ian laughed at me.

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I looked at the digital clock on the stove and saw that it was already 6pm. I finished dinner and then placed my bowl in the dishwasher. Ian did the same and then he had to literally drag me upstairs.

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"Are you sure you don't mind me sleeping over again? What about your mom? What does she think?" I slurred, completely overwhelmed with exhaustion.

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"No no, it's fine. My mom's alright with it, and I don't want you to be all alone in your house." Ian gave me a sweet smile as we got to the top of the stairs.

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He left me for about a minute as he went to go and get me a spare toothbrush. I thanked him and then went to go brush my teeth. When I was finished, Ian went in the washroom to do the same, and I walked into his bedroom. I leaned on the doorway for a moment and I felt my eyelids begin to close. MY head nodded forward and I snapped it back up to prevent myself from falling asleep.

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I heard Ian walk over to me and then he picked me up. He carried me over to his bed and gently placed me on it. He had previously pulled down the covers and was now covering me with them. He then proceeded to slide in himself and he turned off the light on his nightstand.

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"Goodnight, Sarah." he mumbled as he got comfortable.

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"Mmm... goodnight, Ian." I rolled over and gave him a hug before finally falling asleep.

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It was hours later when I finally woke up. I stretched my neck and looked at the clock on Ian's nightstand and saw that it was 8:46am. I saw that Ian was still asleep so I just lied there, staring at the ceiling. Ian rolled over and was now facing me. I scooted a bit closer and snuggled against him. Still asleep, he wrapped his right arm around me and pulled me closer to him. I smiled into his chest and closed my eyes.

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This moment only lasted a few more minutes, and then Ian's alarm went off at 9. I reached over him and strained to push the off button. I could hear Ian start to wake up and I finally turned the alarm off. I lied back down beside him and he slowly opened his eyes.

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"Good morning, sunshine." I said softly.

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Ian groaned and then sat up. He ran his fingers through his hair and he was finally awake enough to say hi.

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"Morning." was all Ian managed.

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He got up to use the washroom as I stayed in his bed. When he returned, I got up and then used the washroom. When I got back to his room, he had already changed his clothes and was making his bed. I helped him finish and then we went downstairs for breakfast.

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"So when are you going to tell Anthony? That you're back, I mean." Ian said as we ate some cereal.

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"I don't know, maybe I'll go over today. You don't happen to know if he has a girlfriend or not, do you?" I sat there, eating, awaiting his reply.

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"Oh, no, I don't think so. I actually talked to him the other day and he said that he didn't want one because he was going to university soon and he wanted to get one there. You know, so he didn't have to leave her behind here." He shrugged and finished his cereal.

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Ian's mom came down and said that she was going to a movie.

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"Bye, Mrs. Hecox!" I said as she was leaving.

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"Oh, just call me Brenda, dear." and then she left.

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"So do you want me to come with you to Anthony's, or do you want to go alone?" Ian asked me as we were washing up the dishes.

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"I think I'd like to go alone. But when I'm done, I'll call you and then we can do something before the party." We finished the dishes and I got my shoes on.

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Ian texted Anthony to see if he was at home, which he was, and then I left.

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"Bye, Ian!" Ian waved back at me as I left.

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I walked about six minutes and then I reached Anthony's house. _Okay, Sarah, you can do this._ I sighed and then walked to the front door.

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I rang the doorbell and waited, just like the first time I had been over here months ago. I stared at the doormat and then I heard someone moving about inside. The door opened and I was welcomed by a very sleepy Anthony. He stared at me for a second and started to stutter.

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"B-but how? When did you get here? H-how?" I fumbled and then looked into my eyes.

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"I missed you too." I stepped inside and gave him a hug.

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I nuzzled my head in his chest and I felt him wrap his arms around me. Neither of us said anything for the next couple minutes. I finally let go of him and looked up. He grabbed my shoulders and bent down to kiss my forehead.

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"Oh my God, Sarah, I've missed you so much." He pulled me into another hug.

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I happily accepted it and tightened my grip around his torso. I could feel a tear slip from my eye. I let out a tiny sob as Anthony rubbed my back.

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"I don't want to bring back old memories, but how are you? Have you heard anything about your family?" Anthony said quietly.

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"No it's okay. I'm fine, but I still haven't heard anything." I said into his chest.

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"Well, do you want me to go to the hospital with you? Maybe they forgot to call you or something. No one should have to wait this long to hear back about their family." I looked up at him and nodded. "Do you want to go now?" I agreed and he went to get ready.

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We left after Anthony got dressed and I texted Ian that Anthony and I were headed to the hospital. He didn't ask if he could go as well, which I was grateful for. Anthony borrowed his mom's car and we drove to the hospital.

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It was about a half an hour away, and Anthony and I talked the whole way.

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"So when did you get back? How did you manage to leave before you turned eighteen?"

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"Uh, I got back a couple days ago. I got to come back because my aunt and uncle, as well as the childcare services people, realised that I wouldn't be able to live with them if I was going to go off to university. So, they reluctantly let me leave. I don't see why they didn't want me to go though, my aunt and uncle don't like me very much, especially my aunt." I looked at all the buildings we passed.

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"Oh." Anthony said. "Well, I'm really glad you're back. Things became almost unbearable with you gone, especially Ian. He would keep saying that he missed you. I agreed with him, of course, but a guy can only take so much." Anthony laughed.

_._

_._

_Ian really did miss me._ I thought about the situation Ian was in, and a smile crept up on my face.

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We arrived at the hospital and Anthony parked in the parking garage. We got out and walked to the front doors. When we got to the reception desk, I asked if I was able to see my parents and Rose, or if I could talk to a doctor about them. The lady said that she would call their doctor down, and soon enough, he arrived.

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He greeted us and announced that he was Dr. Carter, and then took us upstairs. On the way, I asked him how my parents and Rose were.

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"I'm afraid that they're still all in a coma. But you are welcome to visit them." He brought us to Rose's room first.

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She was hooked up to so many wires, I couldn't count them all if I tried. Her full body was in a cast, and I could hear the low beep of the heart monitor beside her. Anthony grabbed my hand as we walked over to her.

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"Hey, Rose, how's it going?" I asked quietly, knowing that she would never respond. "Everything's going to be okay. Don't worry." I could feel tears welling up in my eyes.

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Rose's face was wrapped up in gauze and I could only see a tube coming from her mouth. I stroked the cast on her arm and grabbed a nearby marker. _Stay strong, Rose._ I drew a little heart beside my message and leaned over to kiss her forehead. Anthony rubbed my back as we made our way to the next room, where my mom was.

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My mom was in a similar situation as Rose, and I sat beside her. I still had the marker with me and I wrote '_Please don't go.'_ on her arm cast, and drew a heart beside it. I kissed her forehead as well and we left for my dad's room. Again, he was set up the same as Rose and my mom. I wrote '_Everything will be okay.'_ and like the others, I drew a heart beside my message. I kissed his forehead and Anthony and I left.

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We sat in the cafeteria when Ian called. I was crying too hard to answer it, so I handed my phone to Anthony. He talked to Ian for a few minutes then hung up and passed my phone back to me. He then leaned over and gave me a light kiss on my lips. Then he kissed my forehead.

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"It'll be alright, Sarah." he squeezed my hand and we left the hospital in silence.

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When we arrived at his car, I climbed in and hugged my knees against my chest. Anthony then did something that I wasn't expecting. He leaned over, grabbed my face with his hands and kissed me. I tried to hesitate, but then soon gave in. _I shouldn't be doing this._ I grabbed the back of his head with my hands and pulled him towards me.

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We sat there, kissing, for a while before I finally allowed myself to break it. I sat back in my seat and was breathing heavily.

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"Oh my God." I looked over at Anthony. "We shouldn't have done that, _I_ shouldn't have done that!" I buried my face in my hands and started to cry. "What about Ian? What will he do when he finds out?" I continued to cry.

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"I-I'm so sorry, Sarah, I don't know why I did that." Anthony's face turned bright red as he started the engine.

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We drove home in silence and Anthony opened my door for me, I reluctantly got out and stood there in front of him.

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"I'm going to have to tell him." I muttered, looking at my shoes.

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"I know." Anthony pulled me into a hug and then told me to go over to Ian's.

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"Will you be going to the party tonight?" Anthony asked me.

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"I don't know. If Ian doesn't hate me after telling him, then I probably will be." I said goodbye to him with one last squeeze and then walked over to Ian's.

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I knocked on the door and Ian answered. Before he could hug me, I put up my hands and told him to wait.

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"I need to tell you something first." we walked into his living room and sat on the couch. "I kissed Anthony today." I spat out quickly.

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Ian's eyes went wide and he started to speak.

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"Listen to me first, and then you can hate me." he stopped. "You have to understand that this happened _right after_ I saw my family at the hospital. If you were there, and that was _your_ family in a coma and close to dying, then I bet you would have done what I had done. I'm so sorry, Ian, and I wish I could have controlled myself more." I looked out the window as Ian sat there.

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"I understand, Sarah, I really do. And I don't hate you. I think I would rather slam my face against a brick than hate you." Ian grabbed my hand and pulled me into a hug.

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"I'm sorry..." I whispered into his chest.

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We laid there on his couch, me lying on top of him, quietly sobbing into his chest. Ian stroked my hair with his hand as he reached up with his other one to brush a tear from my face. I then got up and went into the kitchen.

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"Can we just forget what happened at the hospital this morning?" I asked him as he walked over to me.

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"Yeah, sure." he stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my neck.

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I turned around and responded with a kiss of my own, but on his lips. We then left his house and went to Tim Hortons for lunch. We sat in a booth in the corner, opposite of each other. We had both ordered a sandwich and were now eating them. After we had finished, we walked over to my house. I went to go have a shower as Ian waited in the family room. After I was finished, I went to my bedroom and pulled out my outfit for tonight.

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It was a short pale green dress, a bit above the knee, with light pink trimming and a two-inch ribbon around the waist. The straps were the same width as the waist ribbon and the dress top ran straight across my chest, much like my graduation dress. I pulled my hair up in a ponytail and put on some eyeliner, which I hardly ever wore. I sprayed a bit of perfume on and I was finally ready. I checked the clock beside my bed and saw that it was 1:15pm. The party started at two, so Ian still had a bit of time to get ready.

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I opened my bedroom door and walked to the family room, where Ian was watching TV. I cleared my throat to catch his attention and he turned to look at me.

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"Oh my God, Sarah, you look... beautiful." Ian then got up and walked over to me.

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I blushed at his compliment and accepted his kiss. I reached for his hand and then we went back to his house. By the time he was finished getting ready, it was 1:37pm. Ian was wearing dark grey shorts and a white and light grey striped v-neck t-shirt. We then left his house and started to make our way over to the lake. I was glad that the party started early in the afternoon, or else I wouldn't have anything to do.

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When we got to the lake entrance, Ian had told the man that he was invited to the party. He asked about me and I told him that I didn't graduate from Centennial High School, but I did go there a few months ago. With slight hesitation, the man let us both in, and we made our way to the park. I sat on a swing, and Ian took the swing to my left.

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Over on the rink behind us, the DJ was setting up his stand; a giant metal frame about 12 feet across and 12 feet high. There were giant speakers placed on either side and then a platform and counter for the DJ to do his thing. The food stands were also being brought in, and put on the side of the rink closest to the entrance. There were hotdogs, popcorn, pizza and cotton candy stands, as well as a machine that dispensed pop and water. Plastic cups were put on a counter beside the machine and a recycling bin under the counter.

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Soon after, loads of students began to arrive. I was glad that a lot of people were coming, because usually when our school held a dance, less than 100 people came. There were about 600 students in the graduating class, and it looked like most of them had come.

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It was now around 4 o'clock and the party had started. The music was blasting from the speakers and there were people everywhere; on the rink, on the beach, up on the hill, just everywhere. A slow song started to play and Ian asked me to dance. I happily obliged and he pulled me on the dance floor. He put his hands on my waist and my arms were around his neck. We slowly danced around the rink, as well as about 100 people.

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I have yet to see Anthony here, but I didn't let that worry me. I saw a few people that I had classes with before I moved to Victoria and they came over to talk to me. Most of the questions were asking me where I went, why, and what happened the day I freaked out (but that last one was only asked by the people in my chemistry class.). I had struggled to find an answer, but luckily Ian stepped in and told them that my great grandfather had passed away, and that we were very close. For the other answers, he said that I had to go and live with my great grandmother in Victoria to help her cope and take care of her.

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I thanked Ian for saving me, and he said it was no problem. It wasn't much later until I saw Lydia, and she came running over to me. She embraced me in a tight, but loving hug and was asking so many questions that it felt like she was speaking in another language.

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"Whoa there, Lydia, give me some room!" I said jokingly.

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She asked me the same questions that Anthony had asked, and I responded with the same answers I had given Anthony. Lydia said that she was happy that I had come back, and that Ian and I were together. She also expressed her condolences for my parents and Rose, and then she left.

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I looked around for anybody I had missed, but I guess I had already talked to all of them. I then laughed and remembered that I didn't talk to many people in my three years of high school. All of a sudden, some guy that I have never seen before came up and started talking to Ian. I didn't think much of it and went to grab some water for Ian and myself.

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As I filled up the cups, I could hear a few people yelling behind me. I grabbed the cups and walked back to Ian. I was shocked to find there was a crowd of people surrounding none other than Ian and that person he was talking to. _Oh my God._ I pushed through the crowd and as soon as I made it inside the ring, the guy threw a punch at Ian. My eyes went wide and I froze. _OH MY GOD!_

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Ian dodged the punch and tried to get away. It was very obvious that the guy who started the fight was extremely drunk. The random guy grabbed the collar of Ian's shirt and pulled him back. He then drew his fist back and punched Ian in the side. Ian doubled over in pain, and that's when I snapped back into reality.

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"STOP!" I dropped the cups of water and went to pry the guy off Ian.

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He was still punching Ian, but then Ian started to fight back. He kicked the guy's ankles, and that made him fall. Ian then tried to get away, but then the guy started to get up and reach for Ian again. I ran over to them and kicked him in the back. He stumbled forward, and turned around to face me.

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"You bitch." he said.

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"You shouldn't have called me that." I hissed back.

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He started to come towards me, and tried to punch me. He managed to catch my cheek, and I took a step back. I could feel the anger start to build up inside me. _I do NOT need to deal with this shit right now._

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"Awe, what's wrong? You scared?" he snarled.

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"No, but you should be." I was less than a metre away from him when I took a step back and then kicked him swiftly in the side of his head.

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He came at me again, and I punched him square in the face. I then ducked his punch and kicked my leg under his feet, causing him to fall on his back. He tried to get up, but I straddled his chest. I restrained his arms by placing my hands on his biceps. I leaned in close to his face.

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"Don't you _ever_ touch me or my friend again." I spat out.

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I slapped him hard across his face and got up. MY hair was a bid messed up and my dress was twisted. Ian came running over to me, but I held up my hand and made my way to the washroom. I took some paper towel and ran it under some cold water. I finished cleaning off the blood and saw that I had a cut about four inches long across my cheek.

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I went outside and saw that Ian was waiting for me.

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"Oh my God, Sarah, are you okay? You totally beat that guy!" Ian embraced me in a tight hug.

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"Ow!" I wailed as my fresh cut brushed against his shirt.

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"I'm so sorry! Wow that is a nice cut, that'll turn into a sweet scar!" Ian caressed my cheek with his hand.

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He leaned down and gently kissed my cut. We walked out of the lake recreation centre and were welcomed by applause. A lot of people congratulated me, some even said that I beat the shit out of him, and I was blushing for the next ten minutes. The guy had already left and Ian explained to me that he and the guy had some sort of disagreement about something. And that he was extremely drunk.

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"What started the fight?" I asked as we walked up the hill.

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"Uh, he said that you had a 'sweet ass' and that he wanted to 'fuck' you." Ian twisted his face when he said those last words.

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"Oh. Well thank you for standing up for me." I smiled sweetly at him and gave him a little nudge.

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He nudged me back as we arrived at the tiny gazebo at the top of the hill. There were no benches, but the railings were pretty sturdy. I hopped up on one, and Ian leaned against a wooden column. I swung my feet in the air as Ian stared at the sky.

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The sky was a light pink and orange colour and I could start to see stars. It was around 7:30pm, last time I checked my phone. It was still incredibly light out, but the atmosphere at the lake turned from playful and fun, to quiet and romantic.

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"Are you sure you're okay, Sarah?" Ian asked, placing his hand on my knee.

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"I, yeah, I'm fine. I'm just thinking about mom and dad and Rose." Ian tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear.

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He kept his hand there for a moment and I leaned down. Our lips touched lightly together as his hand grazed my cut. I flinched and Ian apologised.

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"I'll be right back; I need to go get something." Ian left in a hurry and jogged down the hill towards the recreation centre.

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It was a few minutes before I heard someone behind me and I looked to see that Ian had a blanket under one arm. He motioned for me to follow him and I hopped off the rail. I caught up to him and held his hand with mine. We walked to the other side of the hill, the one that overlooked the lake and had no trees to block the view, and he took the blanket out from under his arm. He opened the blanket and placed it on the cool grass. He held out his hand and then guided me onto the blanket. We laid down on it, side by side, and looked up at the sky.

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It was now about 8pm and the sky was still very lit up, but getting redder and darker. I sighed and turned my head to face Ian. He turned to me and we smiled at each other. He squeezed my hand and rolled over to give me a quick kiss on my cheek, the one that wasn't cut.

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"I'm sure your parents, and Rose, will be okay, Sarah." Ian said comfortingly.

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"But what if they're not?" I rolled over to face him and propped my head up on my hand. "What if they never come out of their comas? What if-"

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"Stop, Sarah, you're making yourself worry, and you don't need that. You're going off to university soon and you don't need that on your shoulders." Ian faced me and I looked at the blanket.

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"I'm sorry." Ian brushed some hair out of my face and we both rolled onto our backs and continued to look at the sky. "So what university are you going to?" I asked.

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"Well, I was going to try and keep it a secret for a while longer, but I guess I have to tell you, now that you've asked." Ian smirked. "I don't think I've told anyone this, but my uncle is the headmaster at the University of Manchester, and he said that once I finished high school, I was allowed to go and study there for free." My eyes went wide.

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"Are you serious?" I sat up and looked at him.

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"Yeah, completely serious. I actually only found this out a couple weeks ago. I never even knew I had an uncle, let alone one that lived in England. He's my dad's brother, which is probably why I've never heard of him." He sat up as well.

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"Oh my God, Ian," I covered my mouth with my hands. "that is amazing! So does this mean we'll be going to university together?" I squealed excitedly.

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"Yeah!" I practically tackled him into a hug and we rolled over off the blanket.

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I brought my lips to his in a tender kiss and he wrapped his hands around me and placed them on my back.

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"I can't believe this." I said in between kisses.

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We stayed in that position for a while and then I rolled off of him and got back on the blanket. _Oh my God, I can't believe I'm going to be in England with Ian._ I stared up at the sky and sighed heavily. I yawned and Ian laughed.

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"Hey! Beating someone up takes a lot of effort!" I retorted.

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"I know, Sarah. Why don't we go back to your house for the night instead of mine, if that's okay?" Ian said, hesitating on the last part.

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I agreed and we got up. I folded the blanket and once we got to the bottom of the hill, we said goodbye to everyone and I returned the blanket to the recreation centre. We walked home, hand in hand, and I started to hum.

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"What's that?" Ian asked. "The song you're humming, which one is it?" He leaned closer to listen.

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"It's Disenchanted by My Chemical Romance, they're my favourite band." I said quietly.

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We made it back to my house and when we got inside, I put mine and Ian's shoes in the front closet. I went into the family room and switched on the TV. I saw that I had forgotten to cancel my recording for Doctor Who and had over 25 recordings. I called Ian over and he sat down beside me. I chose a recording to watch and Ian and I sat there watching Doctor Who.

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After two episodes, I went to the hall closet and got a spare toothbrush out for Ian. We got ready for bed, him in my bathroom, me in my parent's, and then I joined him in my bedroom. Ian climbed in first and I followed. Ian rolled over to face my back and pulled me into a hug. He placed a light kiss behind my ear and I fell asleep.


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys! Sorry about the long wait for this chapter, I just started the second semester of school and got a ton of homework. I also had major writer's block, which was not fun :( This chapter's kind of short, but I promise the next one will be longer.**

.

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When I woke up, I saw that I was using Ian's chest as a pillow. Ian was stroking my hair with his hand and humming a song that I was unfamiliar with. I sighed and lifted my head to brush the hair out of my face. Ian grinned and placed a kiss on my temple.

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"Good morning." I mumbled, still half-asleep.

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"Morning, Sarah." Ian said.

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"So how'd you do all that stuff last night? I mean, how were you able to kick that high and know all those moves?" Ian asked as I yawned.

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.

"Ever since I was in kindergarten, I've been taking gymnastics classes, and when I was in grade four, I started taking karate. I stopped that class in grade 10 and gymnastics last year. I realised it wasn't really a talent I needed to pursue in order to meet my dreams." I shrugged and put my head on Ian's shoulder.

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"Oh, that's cool." Ian said.

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Ian and I laid there for what seemed like hours, tangled in each other's arms, when my cell phone rang. I groaned and rolled over to grab it from my nightstand.

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"Hello?" I said quietly.

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I sat there, listening to the person on the other end of the line. He was speaking softly and gently. I didn't think Ian could hear him, judging by the fact he was still lying down.

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"Yes, is this Sarah? Hello, I'm Doctor Carter, the one who's been taking care of your parents and Rose. I'm so sorry that this is on such short notice, but you'll need to come down to the hospital immediately. Before you ask, yes this concerns your family's health greatly."

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I squeaked goodbye and then hung up. I turned to Ian and he sat up. He pulled me into a hug and rubbed my back. Once I was done crying, I sat back and noticed that my shirt was all twisted and riding up. I blushed and quickly pulled it down.

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"I'm going to go have a shower in my parents' room. You're welcome to use mine if you like." I grabbed some clothes to change into and left Ian to go shower.

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While I was showering, I thought. I thought about everything that was going on; my parents, Rose, my relationship with Ian, as well as mine with Anthony. I also thought about Amber. She was really one of the best friends I could ever have. _I'm going to be leaving Calgary... for a while._ And then there's university. The good thing was that Ian was going to be there with me, but the bad thing is that I'm going to be leaving everything else. _Not that there's much for me here. I mean, the only person I care about here is Anthony. My grandparents aren't here anymore, and my only other family members are my aunt and uncle. I don't want to think too much about Melanie, seeing as she's somewhere; I forget, either Edmonton or London._

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I finished showering and got out. I dried off and then got dressed. I went downstairs and then started putting my shoes on. Ian joined me a minute later and we left.

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Before Ian could complain, I raised my hand to stop him.

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"Don't worry, we'll stop at Tim's on the way to get breakfast. I'll explain where we're going while we eat." We arrived at Tim Hortons and I ordered us two sandwiches and two bottles of water.

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I paid and then waited for the food to be made. I brought it over to where Ian was sitting and passed him a sandwich and a bottle.

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"So where are we going? Does it have to do with the phone call you got?" He said before starting on his sandwich.

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"Yes, and we're going to the hospital. The doctor said that it concerned my parents and Rose and that we should get there as soon as we can. Once we're finished eating we can catch a bus and-"

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"We're not gonna be taking a bus, Sarah. I can go race home and grab my mom's car. I'm sure she'll let me borrow it." Ian got up, gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek and rushed out, leaving his sandwich barely touched.

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I sighed and wrapped it up. I continued to eat my sandwich and no more than 10 minutes later, I saw a dark grey car pull up. Ian was sitting in the front seat and started to get out. I quickly grabbed everything off the table and rushed outside to meet him. I opened the passenger door and sat down, nearly dropping his sandwich in the process.

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I put the sandwiches and waters on my lap and closed the car door. I pulled my seatbelt over my chest and Ian started to drive. It was a silence drive there and it took about a half an hour. Once we got to the hospital, Ian parked the car and we rushed to the entrance. I told the person at the front desk who I was and that I needed to talk to Doctor Carter. She called him down and we waited for a minute. Once he arrived, he waved his hand and we got up to follow him to the elevators. He pushed the button for the fourth floor and we waited.


	21. Update

Hey, I'm really sorry that I haven't posted a new chapter in a while. Truth is, I've been really tired, uninspired, and my grandma passed away a few days ago. I'll try and get a chapter up soon though. If you want to ask any questions, leave a review, send me a PM or you can ask me on my tumblr, fullmetalwhovian(.)tumblr(.)com (I'm not self-promoting, I'm just letting you all know where I can be reached at). I swear that I'm not giving up on this fanfic and I will write until I feel that it is finished.

I hope that you are all doing better than I am. To be honest, I'm an emotional wreck right now, and it's not just because I just watched The Reichenbach Fall for the nth time. ;_; (If you don't know what that is, look it up! p.s. the show is called Sherlock and it is one of the most wonderful things in the world.) Also, if you couldn't already tell from my name, I am also in love with Fullmetal Alchemist and Doctor Who. :)

Again, I'm so sorry about not updating.


	22. Chapter 21

I held onto Ian's arm as we walked out of the elevator and down the hall. The doctor turned into Rose's room and we sat down.

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"I am, uh, terribly afraid to tell you this, but, your family will not make it." I froze in my seat.

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"H-how long to they have?" I managed to say.

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"About a day, maybe less." I couldn't move at all.

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My shoulders slumped as Ian reached his arm around me. He pulled me into a tight hug and I cried into his chest. The doctor cleared his throat and I looked up, my face tear-stained and red.

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"You are able to stay with them for a while. I can move your mother and father into this room so you can say goodbye." The doctor muttered as he got up.

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I stared blankly at the floor as Ian rubbed my back. The doctor left the room and half an hour later, my parents were brought in. Once they were set up, I rushed first to Rose and hugged her tightly. _I'm so sorry Rose. Please don't leave me, I don't know what I'm going to do without you._ I could hear the machine beeping in time with her breaths. I laid beside her for about an hour before I stood up. I wiped my tears away and leaned forward to give her one last kiss on her forehead.

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I walked around to the other side and met with my mom. I cried even harder when I hugged her. _Mom, I love you so much. Even when we had all of those stupid fights, I still loved you. Please..._ Again, I stayed beside her, holding her hand for an hour. I got up, not bothering to brush my tears away and I walked over to my dad.

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"Dad..." I squeaked.

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My knees gave out and I landed beside him on his hospital bed. _I love you so so so much, Dad. _I cried for over an hour before a nurse came in and told me that I had five minutes left. Like my mom and my sister, I got up and kissed my dad's forehead.

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"I love you, dad. I love all of you; mom, Rose..." I walked out of the room, feeling like I was going to be sick.

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Ian followed me out to his car and we drove home in silence. When we got to my house, I got out of the car and went to the front door. I unlocked it and went up to my bedroom, not bothering to lock the door again. I pulled off my clothes, probably covered in hospital germs, and pulled on an oversized t-shirt. I crawled into my bed and pulled the covers up to my chin.

.

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"Goodbye mom, goodbye dad, goodbye Rose. I love you." I whispered as I fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>So guys, this'll be the last chapter of this fanfic. I'm still really sad about my grandma so I just wanted to make this a short chapter. I was actually crying when I wrote this, because now I know what it feels like to lose someone you love. I don't know if there will be a sequel to this, but if there is, it won't be any time soon. I really enjoyed writing this fanfic and I hope you all liked reading it. My emotions are a bit elevated right now which is why all of this sounds, well, not happy. I didn't want to go too much into detail about the ending and I thought that it was a good place to stop. Thank you, guys. :)<p> 


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